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William Wongso

Tamarind

Asam Jawa

Appears in
top 1000Flavors of Indonesia
Flavors of Indonesia

By William Wongso

Published 2016

  • About

Perhaps we can understand our ancestors’ initial reaction when tasting tamarind for the first time after it was brought by Indian merchants centuries ago to Indonesia, and described as a sour fruit; it was this that led to the tamarind being called asam jawa (asam means sour). The tree has long been naturalized in the East Indies and the islands of the Pacific, including Indonesia.

Big blocks of asam jawa can only found in the Makassar traditional markets.

The tree tolerates a great diversity of soil types, and can be planted fairly close to the seashore. The fruits are beanlike, and irregularly curved with bulging pods, that vary from 2 - 7 inches long, and from ¾ to 1¾ inches (2 - 3.2 cm) in diameter. The pods may be cinnamon-brown or grayish-brown externally and, as they mature, the pods fill out somewhat and the juicy, acidulous pulp turns brown or reddish-brown.

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