Tamarind jam addiction!

Tamarind trees are very strong; they can weather winds and drought. In Indonesia you often find them near sandy beaches where you can have a siesta in the hottest hours of the day,under the shade of their branches. It is a plant with many uses in traditional medicine such as respiratory infections, fever, constipation and to prevent sunstroke! All over Asia you can get fresh tamarind juice, which is full of antioxidants. The tartaric acid that the fruit contains gives it a strong sour taste, so in the East they use it as we would use lemons in the West. Most Asian grocery stores sell tamarind pulp blocks that last a long time when refrigerated. Try to get the paste without the seeds. It is easier and faster to use. The tamarind tree produces long pods and in the pods small brown seeds surrounded by the pulp, we use the pulp dehydrated by the sun into a sticky paste. You can use it raw in juices and sauces or cooked in curries, soups,chutney and jam! Here in Rote island where most of the fruit that you think of finding on a tropical village market ,are not available or they travel from other islands of Indo ( 17,508 islands in this country!) We have to use our creativity and or traditional recipes that are unusual to our western taste but truly delicious!