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Nov. 21, 2024
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Origin and Distribution
Native to tropical Africa, the tree grows wild throughout the Sudan and was so
long ago introduced into and adopted in India that it has often been reported as
indigenous there also, and it was apparently from this Asiatic country that it
reached the Persians and the Arabs who called it "tamar hindi" (Indian date,
from the date-like appearance of the dried pulp), giving rise to both its common
and generic names. Unfortunately, the specific name, "indica", also perpetuates
the illusion of Indian origin. The fruit was well known to the ancient Egyptians
and to the Greeks in the 4th Century B.C.
The tree has long been naturalized in the East Indies and the islands of the Pacific. One of the first tamarind trees in Hawaii was planted in 1797. The tamarind was certainly introduced into tropical America, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the West Indies much earlier. In all tropical and near-tropical areas, including South Florida, it is grown as a shade and fruit tree, along roadsides and in dooryards and parks. Mexico has over 10,000 acres (4,440 ha) of tamarinds, mostly in the states of Chiapas, Colima, Guerrero, Jalisco, Oaxaca and Veracruz. In the lower Motagua Valley of Guatemala, there are so many large tamarind trees in one area that it is called "El Tamarindal". There are commercial plantings in Belize and other Central American countries and in northern Brazil. In India there are extensive tamarind orchards producing 275,500 tons (250,000 MT) annually. The pulp is marketed in northern Malaya and to some extent wherever the tree is found even if there are no plantations.
VarietiesIn some regions the type with reddish flesh is distinguished from the ordinary brown-fleshed type and regarded as superior in quality. There are types of tamarinds that are sweeter than most. One in Thailand is known as 'Makham waan'. One distributed by the United States Department of Agriculture's Subtropical Horticulture Research Unit, Miami, is known as 'Manila Sweet'.
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