Tamarind without seed / बिना बीज के इमली / Eamli / Imali / Tamarindus indica

What is Tamarind?

Believed to originate in East Africa, tamarind now grows extensively throughout the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and the West Indies. Tamarind means ‘date of India’ In Hindu mythology, it is associated with the wedding of the god Krishna which is celebrated by a feast in November.

In Victorian times, the British in Goa kept a tamarind in one ear when venturing into the native quarter to keep themselves free from harassment because the locals believed the fresh pods were inhabited by malevolent demons. This earned the colonials the nickname ‘Lugimlee’ or ‘tamarind heads’, and it has stuck to this day. It is an excellent brass and copper polish. Take a slab of tamarind, sprinkle on some salt, wet it and rub it directly on the object to be polished.

Smell: a slightly fruity aroma.
Flavour: a refreshing sour taste
Hotness Scale: 1

Health Benefits

Tamarind is considered a mild laxative and digestive. It is used to treat bronchial disorders and gargling with tamarind water is recommended for a sore throat. It is antiseptic, used in eye-baths and for the treatment of ulcers. Being highly acidic, it is a refrigerant (cooling in the heat) and febrifuge (for fighting fevers). The Ananga Ranga suggests consuming it for enhancing a woman’s sexual enjoyment.

Other Names

Indian Date, Tamarindo French: tamarin German: Tamarine Italian: tamarindo Spanish: tamarindo Indian: imli, imlee, amyli (dried) Indonesian: asam Lao: mal kham Malay: asam Sinhalese: syambala Tamil: pulee, puli Thai: makahm

Scientific Name

Tamarindus indica syn T.officinalis

Imli ,Tentul, Mange, Puli, Chinta, Chinch, Beej Imli Chhota, Emali

English : Tamarind Tree, Hindi : Imli, Sanskrit : Amlika, Tintidika, Assamese : Tamar, Teteli, Bengali : Tetula, Tentul, Ambli,Gujrati : Anvali, Kannada : Hunisemale, Malayalam : Puli, Amlam, Marathi : Chinch, Oriya : Koina, Omlika, Punjabi : Imli, Amli, Tamil : Puli, Aanvilam,Telugu : Chint, Chinta,Urdu : Imli.