Can I only buy it in season?
It is listed as Main harvest listed late Dec–Feb. The harvest period can vary by growing region and variety. The calendar does not guarantee that it is on sale on any given day.
Sweet Tamarind
Sweet Tamarind · มะขามหวาน
Try sweet tamarind, which comes in a brown pod. Crack the shell and pull the fibers off the flesh and you can eat the soft inside. If you have only known tamarind as an ingredient in the tangy sauce of Pad Thai, meet sweet tamarind eaten as fruit.
Tamarindus indica pods · B.navez · CC BY 2.5
Resized for display
When is the best time to eat it?
Main harvest listed late Dec–Feb
Timing varies by growing region and variety
Phetchabun sweet tamarind: harvest listed for Nov–Apr
Use the main harvest period, or the harvest window for a regional fruit, as a guide. Actual availability can change with growing region, variety and weather.
What does it taste like?
Sweet tamarind is a fruit you eat soft and sweet. Remove the hard seed and fibers in the middle and eat the flesh.
Why this fruit is known in Thailand
Apart from the tamarind that gives dishes their sourness, there are varieties enjoyed as a sweet fruit. Sweet tamarind of Phetchabun is introduced as a regional GI fruit.
Buying basics
- Thai name
- มะขามหวาน
- Harvest period
- Main harvest listed late Dec–Feb
- Regional fruit
- Phetchabun sweet tamarind: harvest listed for Nov–Apr
- How to buy
- Tell apart fresh pods from packaged products with the seeds removed or processed. Even with the same tamarind, the product and the package weight differ.
How to prepare and eat it
- Crack the shell of the pod and take out the flesh.
- Remove the fibers and the hard seed attached to it as you eat the flesh.
- A processed product has a different price unit from fresh fruit, so look at the package weight and choose.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compare a per-kilogram price with a price per pack?
Tell apart fresh pods from packaged products with the seeds removed or processed. Even with the same tamarind, the product and the package weight differ.
Keep exploring
Official sources and references
If you want to read more about the food and the regions behind it, these sources are a good place to start. Ingredients and recipes can vary from one restaurant to the next.