By Nik Sharma
Published 2020
When my mother makes her creamy coconut fish stews (see Caldine) and sambhar (a lentil stew from Southern India), she drops in a small ball of soft tamarind pulp (pH 2.46) and lets it work its magic. Worcestershire sauce contains extracts of tamarind, fermented along with a bunch of sweeteners and spices. Though the tamarind tree originated in hot, arid regions of Africa, it made its way to India and other Asian countries, where it quickly became an important souring agent in local cuisines.
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