Tamarind originated in Africa and is a seasoning used in cuisines around the world.
General information:
From Wikipedia: “Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) is a leguminous tree in the family Fabaceae indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus Tamarindus is a monotypic taxon, having only a single species.
The tamarind tree produces pod-like fruit, which contain an edible pulp that is used in cuisines around the world. Other uses of the pulp include traditional medicine and metal polish. The wood can be used for woodworking, and Tamarind seed oil can be extracted from the seeds. Because of the tamarind's many uses, cultivation has spread around the world in tropical and subtropical zones.”
Origin:
“Tamarindus indica is probably indigenous to tropical Africa, but has been cultivated for so long on the Indian subcontinent that it is sometimes reported to be indigenous there, where it is known as imli in Hindi-Urdu. It grows wild in Africa in locales as diverse as Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Tanzania. In Arabia, it is found growing wild in Oman, especially Dhofar, where it grows on the sea-facing slopes of mountains. It reached South Asia likely through human transportation and cultivation several thousand years BC. It is widely distributed throughout the tropical belt, from Africa to South Asia, northern Australia, and throughout Oceania, Southeast Asia, Taiwan and China.
In the 16th century, it was introduced to Mexico, and to a lesser degree to South America, by Spanish and Portuguese colonists, to the degree that it became a staple ingredient in the region's cuisine.”
Production and consumption:
“Today, India is the largest producer of tamarind. The consumption of tamarind is widespread due to its central role in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and the Americas, especially Mexico.”
Culinary uses:
“The fruit pulp is edible. The hard green pulp of a young fruit is considered by many to be too sour, but is often used as a component of savory dishes, as a pickling agent or as a means of making certain poisonous yams in Ghana safe for human consumption.
The ripened fruit is considered the more palatable, as it becomes sweeter and less sour (acidic) as it matures. It is used in desserts, as a jam, blended into juices, or sweetened drinks, sorbets, ice creams and other snacks. In Western cuisine, it is found in Worcestershire Sauce. In most parts of India, tamarind extract is used to flavor foods, in curries and traditional dishes, and tamarind sweet chutney is popular in India and Pakistan as a dressing for many snacks. Tamarind pulp is a key ingredient in flavoring curries and rice in south Indian cuisine, as well as in the Chigali lollipop. Across the Middle East, from the Levant to Iran, tamarind is used in savory dishes, notably meat-based stews, and often combined with dried fruits to achieve a sweet-sour tang.”
Medicinal uses:
“Throughout Southeast Asia, the fruit of the tamarind is used as a poultice applied to foreheads of fever sufferers. The fruit exhibits laxative effects due to its high quantities of malic acid, tartaric acid, and potassium bitartrate. Its use for the relief of constipation has been documented throughout the world.”
Research:
“In hens, tamarind has been found to lower cholesterol in their serum, and in the yolks of the eggs they laid. Due to a lack of available human clinical trials, there is insufficient evidence to recommend tamarind for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia or diabetes.”
Etymology:
“The name derives from Arabic: تمر هندي, romanized tamar hindi, "Indian date". Several early medieval herbalists and physicians wrote tamar indi, medieval Latin use was tamarindus, and Marco Polo wrote of tamarandi.”
Nutrient tables
The complete nutritional information, coverage of the daily requirement and comparison values with other ingredients can be found in the following nutrient tables.
Nutritional Information
|
per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Energy | 239 kcal 1'000 kJ | 12.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 2000kcal |
Fat/Lipids | 0.60 g | 0.9% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 70g |
Saturated Fats | 0.27 g | 1.4% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 20g |
Carbohydrates (inc.dietary fiber) | 62 g | 23.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 270g |
Sugars | 39 g | 43.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 90g |
Fiber | 5.1 g | 20.4% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 25g |
Protein/Albumin | 2.8 g | 5.6% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 50g |
Cooking Salt (Na:28.0 mg) | 71 mg | 3.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 2.4g |
Essential micronutrients with the highest proportions | per 100g | 2000 kcal | |
---|---|---|---|
Vit | Thiamine (vitamin B1) | 0.43 mg | 39.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.1 mg |
Elem | Potassium, K | 628 mg | 31.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2'000 mg |
Elem | Magnesium, Mg | 92 mg | 25.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 375 mg |
Min | Iron, Fe | 2.8 mg | 20.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 14 mg |
Vit | Biotin (ex vitamin B7, H) | 10 µg | 20.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 50 µg |
Elem | Phosphorus, P | 113 mg | 16.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 700 mg |
Vit | Niacin (née vitamin B3) | 1.9 mg | 12.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 16 mg |
Vit | Riboflavin (vitamin B2) | 0.15 mg | 11.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg |
Elem | Calcium, Ca | 74 mg | 9.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Min | Copper, Cu | 0.09 mg | 9.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.0 mg |
Detailed micronutrients and daily requirement coverage per 100g
Explanations of nutrient tables in general
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
Essential fatty acids | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Linoleic acid; LA; 18:2 omega-6 | 0.06 g | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the CH-EDI-Verordnung: 10 g |
Alpha-Linolenic acid; ALA; 18:3 omega-3 | 0 g | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the CH-EDI-Verordnung: 2.0 g |
Essential amino acids | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Tryptophan (Trp, W) | 0.02 g | 7.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.25 g |
Lysine (Lys, K) | 0.14 g | 7.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.9 g |
Methionine (Met, M) | 0.01 g | 2.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.93 g |
Vitamins | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Thiamine (vitamin B1) | 0.43 mg | 39.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.1 mg |
Biotin (ex vitamin B7, H) | 10 µg | 20.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 50 µg |
Niacin (née vitamin B3) | 1.9 mg | 12.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 16 mg |
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) | 0.15 mg | 11.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg |
Folate, as the active form of folic acid (née vitamin B9 and | 14 µg | 7.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 200 µg |
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) | 0.07 mg | 5.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg |
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | 3.5 mg | 4.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 80 mg |
Vitamin K | 2.8 µg | 4.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 75 µg |
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) | 0.14 mg | 2.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 6.0 mg |
Vitamin E, as a-TEs | 0.10 mg | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 12 mg |
Vitamin A, as RAE | 2.0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 µg |
Vitamin D | 0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 5.0 µg |
Essential macroelements (macronutrients) | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Potassium, K | 628 mg | 31.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2'000 mg |
Magnesium, Mg | 92 mg | 25.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 375 mg |
Phosphorus, P | 113 mg | 16.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 700 mg |
Calcium, Ca | 74 mg | 9.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Sodium, Na | 28 mg | 4.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Essential trace elements (micronutrients) | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Iron, Fe | 2.8 mg | 20.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 14 mg |
Copper, Cu | 0.09 mg | 9.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.0 mg |
Selenium, Se | 1.3 µg | 2.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 55 µg |
Zinc, Zn | 0.10 mg | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 10 mg |
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