Lost Crops of Africa Volume III: Fruits (2008) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 149-164
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From page 149... ...
The capital of Senegal is named for this native favorite, which in the local Wolof language is called "dakar." This tall legume has long been integral to African culture. For millennia, people have crushed the fruit pulp in water to form a paste, which they then employ for "souring" their bowls of sorghum or millet gruel.
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From page 150... ...
It withstands the assaults of city smog and, thanks to a deep and extensive root system, weathers violent storms. It also tolerates the salty air of coastal locales.
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From page 151... ...
International Centre for Underutilised Crops, Southampton, UK; see www.icuc-iwmi.org. Tamarind was also covered in our 1979 report, Tropical Legumes.
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From page 152... ...
Savannas are the plant's original African habitat, so the tree is endowed with the potential to perform on seasonally dry, semi-arid sites. Of course, in such locations it grows more slowly than on better watered ones, but its deep taproot and natural ability to shed its leaves when stressed means that it survives even long droughts and lives on to thrive another day.
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From page 153... ...
Such tamarind beverages are also especially popular in Guatemala, Mexico, indeed most of the American tropics. Seeds Tamarind seeds are edible, usually roasted or boiled and eaten after shucking the seedcoat.
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From page 154... ...
154 LOST CROPS OF AFRICA Other Foods Young leaves, flowers, and baby pods are all agreeably sour, and in some countries are used to season rice, fish, or meat in curries, soups, or stews. Immature pods are also used like common beans: roasted or boiled, and served as a vegetable, pickled, or added to salads.
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From page 155... ...
TAMARIND 155 parts of the tree supposedly have curative properties, including fungicidal and antibacterial agents reportedly found in various tamarind products. Concentrated doses of the raw pulp are also used as a gentle laxative, and when boiled into a drink is considered good for inflammations.
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From page 156... ...
Globally speaking, tamarind trees receive minimal care, and tend to get very large. But in Thailand's central delta they are intensively cropped and kept to convenient size by planting them close together (about 500 trees per ha)
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From page 157... ...
In humid areas of Southeast Asia, however, orchards receiving more than 1,500 mm of rainfall annually are possibly the most productive anywhere. For the first few years of life, the young tree needs protection from grazing animals such as goats.
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From page 158... ...
Windbreaks The tamarind is one of the few fruit trees–because its branches are so strong and pliant–that can be grown in locations subject to 5 A full range of examples is in El-Siddig, et al.
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From page 159... ...
An international website could stimulate further developments and keep the world informed of progress. Beyond food, there are medicinal uses as well as industrial and other applications that could appeal to specialists.7 Documentation of indigenous knowledge–with local participation–on uses and conservation should be undertaken throughout tamarind's distribution.
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From page 160... ...
Burkina Faso: bu pugubu Arabic: tamr hindi Dutch: Tamarinde, Tamarindeboom English: tamarind, Indian date Ethiopia: hemor, homor, humar, komar, tommar (Am) , aradeb (T)
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From page 161... ...
Environmental Requirements In their native African habitat, wild tamarind trees mostly grow alone, rarely in small groups, sometimes along rivers (which may be seasonally dry) or lakes, as well as in often rocky, lowland-woodland.
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From page 162... ...
Rainfall In Africa tamarind thrives where annual rainfall drops as low as 750 mm and sometimes below 500 mm. It also can thrive in areas of Southeast Asia receiving more than 1,500 mm.
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