Can I only buy it in season?
The guide gives its timing as: Main harvest listed as late December–February. The harvest period can vary with the growing area and the variety. The calendar does not guarantee that it is on sale on any particular date.
Sweet Tamarind
Sweet Tamarind · มะขามหวาน
Try sweet tamarind from inside its brown pod. Crack the shell, take off the fibres clinging to the flesh and you can eat the soft inside. If you have only known tamarind as the ingredient for the sour sauce in pad Thai, meet the sweet tamarind that is eaten as a fruit too.
Tamarindus indica pods · B.navez · CC BY 2.5
Resized for display
When is the best time to eat it?
Main harvest listed as late December–February
Timing varies with the growing area and variety
Sweet tamarind from Phetchabun: harvest period listed as November–April
Use the main season, or the harvest period for regional fruit, as a guide. Actual availability can vary with the growing area, the variety and the weather.
What does it taste like?
Sweet tamarind is a fruit eaten soft and sweet. Take out the hard stone and the fibres in the middle and eat the flesh.
Why this fruit is well known in Thailand
Apart from the tamarind that adds sourness to cooking, there are varieties enjoyed as a sweet fruit. Sweet tamarind from Phetchabun is presented as a regional GI fruit.
Good to know before you buy
- Thai name
- มะขามหวาน
- Harvest period
- Main harvest listed as late December–February
- Regional fruit
- Sweet tamarind from Phetchabun: harvest period listed as November–April
- How it is sold
- Tell apart fresh fruit in the pod from packed products with the stones removed or processed. Even the same tamarind differs in product and pack weight.
How to prepare and eat it
- Crack the pod shell and take out the flesh.
- Eat the flesh, removing the fibres and hard stones attached to it.
- Processed products use a different price unit from fresh fruit, so look at the weight on the pack when you choose.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compare a per-kilo price with the price of a tub?
Tell apart fresh fruit in the pod from packed products with the stones removed or processed. Even the same tamarind differs in product and pack weight.
Keep exploring
Official sources and references
If you would like to read more about the food and the regions behind it, these sources are worth a look. Ingredients and cooking methods can vary from one cook to the next.