minutes, squeezing the fibrous mass, and
straining off the flavored water; tamarind
extract is also manufactured and sold as a
thick paste. The pulp is about 20% acids,
mainly tartaric, 35–50% sugars, and about
30% moisture, and has a complex, savory,
roasted aroma thanks to browning reactions
that take place on the tree as the pulp becomes
concentrated in the hot sun. In much of Asia,
tamarind is used to acidify and flavor sweet-
sour preserves, sauces, soups, and drinks.
Tamarind is also popular in the Middle East,
and it’s one of the defining ingredients in
Worcestershire sauce.
Turmeric Turmeric is the dried underground
stem, or rhizome, of a herbaceous tropical
plant in the ginger family, Curcuma longa. It
appears to have been domesticated in
prehistoric times in India, probably for its
deep yellow pigment (curcuma comes from
the Sanskrit for “yellow”). Turmeric has long