What you don’t know about the Tamarind
(Tsamiya)

Tamarind, known as Tsamiya in the North is one of the widely used spices mostly found in Nigeria, especially in a Northern woman’s kitchen. It is surprising to know that it also grows outside the shores of Nigeria like Asia and Mexico. For the benefit of those who have no idea what tamarind is, it is a fruit that has a sweet and tangy/sour taste; the tree that bears the fruit is very long and large with equally long, heavily falling/drooping branches. The tamarind tree bears fruit pods that are curved in shape, and each pod has a hard shell encasing deep brown soft pulp enveloping hard dark brown seeds.

The texture of tamarind is very sticky and paste-like, and the colour of the fruit is dark brown. It will interest you to know that this fruit contains some healthy chemical compounds such as minerals, vitamins, fibre and so on. It also contains tamaric acid which gives that sour taste to food besides its inherent activity as a powerful antioxidant. This thus, helps the human body protect against harmful free radicals. The tamarind is rich in vital vitamins like vitamin A, folic acid, vitamin C, and many more. Much of these vitamins, as many of us know, play vital roles as antioxidants, as well as co- factor function for enzyme metabolism inside our body.

As a homebred girl, I know what tamarind (pulp) is and a whole lot of things you can use it to make. One of those things is Kunun Tsamiya. Lol! Usually, a small portion of the pulp is soaked in half cup of warm water for about 10 minutes. Then you swirl the pulp with a spoon so that it is dissolved evenly in water to prepare a thin sauce. Strain the juice through a filter or thin cloth sieve before using in your Kunun Tsamiya, Kunun Geda or whatever you want to use it for.

The juice made of tamarind pulp can be turned into a refreshing drink with addition of a little sugar or honey. It is a refreshing drink you can make at home. If you want to use the tamarind in your cooking, just scoop the tamarind paste and add straight to your recipe. It’s as simple as that. Although, you should know that the thickness and strength of the tamarind paste varies depending on which brand you use. The tamarind fruit is a very healthy and good fruit I recommend for everyone. Next time you drop by the local market, get some of the fruit for a healthy you.

Rifkatu Yusuf