புளியமரம்
Tamarind (Tamarindus indica)
It is indigenous to tropical Africa. particularly in Sudan, where it continues to grow wild; it is also cultivated in Cameroon, Nigeria and Tanzania. In Arabia, it is found growing wild in Oman, especially Dhofar, where it grows on the sea-facing slopes of mountains. It reached South Asia likely through human transportation and cultivation several thousand years prior to the Common Era.[2][3] It is widely distributed throughout the tropical belt, from Africa to South Asia, Northern Australia, and throughout South East Asia, Taiwan and China.
Tamarind (Tamarindus indica)
In the 16th century, it was heavily introduced to Mexico, and to a lesser degree to South America, by Spanish and Portuguese colonists, to the degree that it became a staple ingredient in the region's cuisine.[4]
Today, South Asia and Mexico remain the largest consumers and producers of tamarind.
[edit]Description
The tamarind is a long-lived, medium-growth, bushy tree, which attains a maximum crown height of 12.1 to 18.3 metres (40 to 60 feet). The crown has an irregular, vase-shaped outline of dense foliage. The tree grows well in full sun in clay, loam, sandy, and acidic soiltypes, with a high drought and aerosol salt (wind-borne salt as found in coastal area) resistance.
Leaves are evergreen, bright green in color, elliptical ovular, arrangement is alternate, of the pinnately compound type, with pinnate venation and less than 5 cm (2 inches) in length. The branches droop from a single, central trunk as the tree matures and is often pruned in human agriculture to optimize tree density and ease of fruit harvest. At night, the leaflets close up.
The tamarind does flower, though inconspicuously, with red and yellow elongated flowers. Flowers are 2.5 cm wide (one inch), five-petalled, borne in small racemes, and yellow with orange or red streaks. Buds are pink as the four sepals are pink and are lost when the flower blooms.
The fruit is an indehiscent legume, sometimes called a pod, 12 to 15 cm (3 to 6 inches) in length, with a hard, brown shell.[5][6][7] The fruit has a fleshy, juicy, acidulous pulp. It is mature when the flesh is coloured brown or reddish-brown. The tamarinds of Asia have longer pods containing six to 12 seeds, whereas African and West Indian varieties have short pods containing one to six seeds. The seeds are somewhat flattened, and glossy brown.
The tamarind is best described as sweet and sour in taste, and is high in acid, sugar, B vitamins and, oddly for a fruit, calcium.
As a tropical species, it is frost sensitive. The pinnate leaves with opposite leaflets give a billowing effect in the wind. Tamarind timber consists of hard, dark red heartwood and softer, yellowish sapwood.
Tamarind is harvested by pulling the pod from its stalk. A mature tree may be capable of producing up to 175 kg (350 lb) of fruit per year. Veneer grafting, shield (T or inverted T) budding, and air layering may be used to propagate desirable selections. Such trees will usually fruit within three to four years if provided optimum growing conditions.
[edit]Etymology
When British sailors first visited the coasts of Oman enroute to India, they enquired of the fruit - packed as dark brown slabs of sticky paste - in the markets that looked similar to the ripe dates from the area, they were told by the locals there that it was thamer hind; literally meaning "dates from India". This was recorded by the English as "tamarind".[citation needed]
[edit]Alternative names
Globally, it is most numerous in South Asia, where it is widely distributed and has a long history of human cultivation. Many South Asian regional languages have their own unique name for the tamarind fruit. In Sanskrit, it is called tintidior "Aamlika". In Assamese, it is calledteteli. It is called tetul (তেঁতুল) in Bengali. In Oriya, it is called tentuli, in Hindi it is called imli (इमली); in Rajasthani it is known as Aamli(आम्ली); in Gujarati the amli, and Marathi and Konkani the chinch; in Kannada it is called hunase (ಹುಣಸೆ), Telugu chintachettu (tree) andchintapandu (fruit extract. In Tamil speaking regions as such in Tamil Nadu and northern areas of Srilanka the Tamarind is known as puli(புளி). In Malayalam it is called vaalanpuli (വാളന്പുളി) and In Pakistan in Urdu, it is known as imli. In Sri Lanka in Sinhala, it is called siyambala; In the Cook Islands in Cook Islands Maori Māori Kūki Āirani or Rarotonganis language Tamarindus is called tamarene. In Thailand it is called má kăam (มะขาม).
In Indonesia and Malaysia, tamarind is known as the asam (or asem) Jawa (means Javanese asam), which in the Indonesian and Malaylanguages, translates as Javanese sour [sic: fruit] (though the literature may also refer to it as sambaya). In the Philippines, tamarind is referred to as sampaloc, which is occasionally rendered as sambalog in Tagalog and sambag in Cebuano. The Vietnamese term is me. In Taiwan, it is called loan-tz. In Myanmar, it is called magee-bin (tree) and magee-thee (fruit). The tamarind is the provincial tree of thePhetchabun province of Thailand (in Thailand it is called ma-kham). In Laos it is called ໝາກຂາມ (maak-kham. In Malagasy it is called voamadilo and kily.
In Ghana, it is called dawadawa. In Malawi, it is called bwemba. In Turkey, it is called "demir hindi". In Nigeria (Hausa language),it is called "Tsamiya"
In Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela, it is called tamarindo. In the Caribbean, tamarind is sometimes called tamón.[2] In Trinidad and Tobago, however, it is also called "tambran".
Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) should not be confused with "Manila tamarind" (Pithecellobium dulce), which is a different plant native to Mexico and known locally as guamúchil. It is also of Fabaceae.
[edit]Cultivation
Seeds can be scarified or briefly boiled to enhance germination. They retain germination capability after several months if kept dry.
Although native to Sudan and tropical Africa, Asia and Mexico are the largest consumers and producers of tamarind.
The tamarind has also long been naturalized in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and the Pacific Islands. Thailand has the largest plantations of the ASEAN nations, followed by Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Philippines. In India, extensive tamarind orchards produce 275,500 tons (250,000 MT) annually. The pulp is marketed in northern Malaya. It is cultivated all over India, especially in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Commercial plantations throughout tropical Latin America include Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Ricoand Venezuela.
In the United States, it is a large-scale crop introduced for commercial use, second in net production quantity to India, in the mainlySouthern states due to tropical and semitropical climes, notably South Florida, and as a shade and fruit tree, along roadsides and in dooryards and parks. 
Tamarind pulp is high in calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin.
In traditional Asian medicines, tamarind is used to treat inflammation, arthritis pain, sore throats, sunstroke, certain kinds of poisoning, and drunkenness.
Tamarind Fruit in Food and Medicine: Indian Date Used for Flavor, Digestive Remedy, and to Relieve Pain |
[edit]Basically there are three types of tamarinds - the East Indian, the West Indian and a third variety. While the East Indian variety of tamarind has long pods enclosing six to 12 seeds, the West Indian type of this species have comparatively shorter pods each having about four seeds. The pods of the third variety of tamarind enclose an exquisite rose color pulp. The West Indian variety of tamarinds are generally exported in a syrup form after removing the outer shell of the fruits, while the East Indian type is exported in a solid black mass of legumes along with their shells. The third type of tamarind is generally conserved in a syrup form.The tamarind leaves are occasionally used in sub-acid infusions, while a decoction prepared with the leaves is believed to eliminate worms in children. In addition, the decoction is also effectual in treating jaundiceand useful as an external wash for tender eyes and ulcers. In the West Indies, people prepare a punch with the fruit and blend it with a decoction prepared with borage to alleviate the burning sensation during urination. Tamarind whey can be prepared by stewing one ounce of the fruit pulp in one pint of milk and filtering the liquid. This serves as a cool laxative drink. Interestingly, the tamarind fruit has also been found to be useful in healing some types of sore throat conditions. In Mauritius, the Creoles blend salt with the tamarind pulp and use it as an ointment to treat rheumatism. In addition, they also prepare a decoction with the bark of the tamarind tree to treat asthma. The Bengalis, on the other hand, use the tamarind pulp to cure dysentery. Moreover, when food is scarce, they also use tamarind as a food by boiling the fruit pods in water or grinding them after removing the dark brown outer shell.
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