Mmm.
Doesn't that look yummy? The tamarind is a legume, but
tastes like a fruit. When ripe, the shell is brittle
and can be easily cracked, revealing the even-less-appetizing-looking
pulp within, which comes out in one piece. It's surrounded
by a net of tough fibers, which you can easily remove
by grasping the stem end and pulling it away from the
pulp. This leaves you with the edible fruit, which has
large seeds within. (The seeds don't correspond to the
lumps on the outer pod. Go figure.)
If you like exotic stuff, want to weird out your
friends in the lunchroom, and don't mind getting your
fingers a little sticky, I highly recommend this. The
pulp is described as sweetish-sour, and reminds me of
prunes. Even the seeds are kinda cool - they look like
marble-sized, irregular bits of polished wood.
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