Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) is a leguminous tree that produces brown fruit seed pods filled with sweet tangy pulp. The name Tamarind is belived to come from Arabic "tamar hindi" meaning "Indian Date", the tree is believed to be native to Africa or possibly India (largest producer), and in the 16th century it was brought to Central America. While it is used extensively in Indian & Southeast Asian Cuisine, in Central America it is often used for sweets, drinks & traditional medicine. 

One of my favorite thirst-quenching drinks growing up was Tamarindo. It's acidic, tart & slightly sweet flavors are perfect on a warm afternoon. I remember mi Abuela making it from pulp she had brought back from her last trip to Costa Rica, real pulp not that frozen stuff they sell in the stores. As she'd make it she would tell me about its medicinal properties/benefits specifically relating to stomach issues. I still drink it when my stomach is on the fritz, but honestly I've always loved the flavor. Kishore thinks that's fitting since my name in English (Emily) sounds like the word for Tamarind in Telugu (imli)!

Here's my recipe:

How to Make Tamarindo - Costa Rican Tamarind Drink

By Emily (Cooking for Kishore)

One of my favorite thirst-quenching drinks, Tamarindo, is acidic, tart & slightly sweet.

Ingredients

• 20 Dried Sweet Tamarind Pods, or a golf ball sized piece of prepared dried sweet tamarind
• 1 cup Sugar
• Juice from 1-2 Limes
• 6 cups Water
• 1 cup Ice

Instructions

1. Bring 2 Cups of water to a boil and then take it off the heat. If you are using the pods, make sure to remove the shells, strings and any seeds you can, leaving a tacky pulp behind.
2. Place tamarind pulp and sugar in the boiled water. Let it sit for about 5 minutes.
3. While the tamarind water is still hot, use your hands to squeeze the pulp throughly breaking it up as much as possible, remove any seeds. You can strain the pulp if you feel like it but I leave it in.
4. Add the cooled tamarind liquid to a pitcher, add 4 cups of water, the juice of 1-2 limes, and 1 cup of crushed ice. Stir well and Enjoy!

Yield: 6 Servings
Prep Time: 10 mins. Cook time: 5 mins. Total time: 15 mins.
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Nutrition

Calories: 143 per serving