ASAM JAWA / TAMARIND (Tamarindus Indica.)
The Tamarind or Asam Jawa belong to the plant family of Leguminosae and is native to and cultivated for centuries in tropical Africa and West Asia. It later spread throughout the Tropics. The tree can grow up to 30 meters tall and appears brownish green. It is slow growing and semi-deciduous, with a dense rounded crown composed of many branches and drooping branchlets. This is the only species in the genus tamarindus. The Malays are fond of the Asam and often grew them in their villages (kampongs). Its simple pinnate compound leaves are divided into small and oblong leaflets. The fern like leaflets are light green in colour and giving a light and airy appearance. The frequent shedding of its fine leaflets and fruit pods make sweeping a challenge.
The fruit is a long and pod-like legume, containing a soft and thick pulp enclosing brown seeds. The raw pulp is acidic, edible and markets locally as “asam”. It is used extensively in local cuisine to achieve a sour taste and apparently, as an important ingredient in Worcestershire sauce. It is also eaten either sweet or with salt. The raw pulp can be used to polish silver, brassware and other utensils. Considered to have a cooling and digestive effects, the Asam is gently laxative. The orchid shaped and fragrant flowers are reddish, becoming yellow to white with maturity. Besides the pods, the flowers are also edible, as a vegetable and cooked in curries. The pulp, leaves and bark have medicinal value and the leaves are traditionally used in herbal tea for reducing malaria fever or as a wet compress to lower fever. The timber is yellowish to dark red and resistant to insect attack, thus suitable for making agricultural tools, domestic articles and furniture.
The fruit is a long and pod-like legume, containing a soft and thick pulp enclosing brown seeds. The raw pulp is acidic, edible and markets locally as “asam”. It is used extensively in local cuisine to achieve a sour taste and apparently, as an important ingredient in Worcestershire sauce. It is also eaten either sweet or with salt. The raw pulp can be used to polish silver, brassware and other utensils. Considered to have a cooling and digestive effects, the Asam is gently laxative. The orchid shaped and fragrant flowers are reddish, becoming yellow to white with maturity. Besides the pods, the flowers are also edible, as a vegetable and cooked in curries. The pulp, leaves and bark have medicinal value and the leaves are traditionally used in herbal tea for reducing malaria fever or as a wet compress to lower fever. The timber is yellowish to dark red and resistant to insect attack, thus suitable for making agricultural tools, domestic articles and furniture.