TAMARIND: A SAUCY TREE
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Tamarindus indica
FAMILY: Leguminosae
Worcestershire sauce is a noble sauce, not a common condiment. According to the label of the THE ORIGINAL AND GENUINE sauce of Worcestershire, it is a product based on the recipe of a nobleman of the county.
Tom Jones, not the singer, in a moment of gourmet wisdom or romantic folly, exchanged this sauce of sauces for a bottle of champagne.
In the days when eggs were safe, I used to add a little zip to fried eggs with Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco.
Back to reading the bottle. One of the named ingredients of Worcestershire sauce is the fruit of the tamarind tree. This is a tree of the bean family or Leguminosae, and the fruit is a pod containing sticky brown pulp and a number of seeds. The pulp with its sweet and sour taste is a flavoring in the sauce and also can be found in many dishes of the Far East.
The pulp, if steeped in water and then strained, makes a refreshing and nutritious drink.
The medicinal reputation of the fruit is prodigious. It is valued as a refrigerant, digestive carminative, laxative and antiscorbutic. This means it will have a cooling effect on your skin; and if you have a stomach for it, your bowels will be wowed, moved and calmed. And you will be protected against scurvy.
An infusion of pulp in seawater is good for cleaning silverware and pickling fish.
The seed is another useful item and has been used to make jelly, varnish and wood cement. The leaves can be used to make a yellow dye and act as a poultice for boils.
What else? The tamarind is a superb tree. In South Florida it grows to about 50 feet and usually has a very attractive dome shape. The tree will tackle our poorest soils and is salt and hurricane resistant.
It can be recommended for its shade, strength and fruit. Once established, it is virtually maintenance free, except for some fertilizer to speed growth.
DATE: March 1990
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
