Tamarind paste

The tamarind tree is native to Africa but is commonly grown all over Asia and Mexico. Tamarind paste comes from the fruit or pods that grow on tamarind trees. It's a common ingredient in many different cuisines such as Indian, Thai, Mexican, Vietnamese and Caribbean. It's used mainly for savoury cooking but there are some instances where it's used to make desserts. Tamarind paste has a distinctive sour flavour with smokey, caramel notes making it a complex ingredient to cook with and it's also thick and sticky in texture.