Tamarind

In Egypt, this dark, thick, rich, sweet-and-sour syrup was usually bought ready-made. It was diluted with ice-cold water to make a superb and refreshing drink, and also used in small quantities as a flavouring for stews and other dishes like stuffed leeks. The syrup is also very common and extremely popular in Italy, where it is sold by chemists. I have not yet been able to find it in London in its syrup form, but dried, cinnamon-coloured tamarind pod