12.19.09
Caravel Tamarind Candy (hot)
I know Tamarind primarily from the Smithee Awards because Iron Chef Smithee usually picks up a couple bottles of Jarritos Tamarind Soda to fill out the drinks portion of the snacks table. At least I think it’s Jarritos, although it could also be Goya, but whoever makes the Tamarind soda I like the Sangria flavor better. Which is to say, tamarind isn’t a fruit flavor I could describe to you in 10 words or less. I probably couldn’t do it in 5 other than to say “The sangria soda is better”. That doesn’t really help no matter how true it is. My Webfriend Google tells me that I don’t know a whole lot about tamarind because it appears to be a berry rather than a fruit so there you have it.
However, my lack of knowledge never stopped me from buying something Asian and fun looking (a product of Thailand if you want to get specific) so in the basket the hot tamarind candy went. Tamarinds are tart with a touch of sour and not the greatest flavor for soda. They aren’t the worst flavor but I can think of 7 other fruits which I’d make a soda of first and probably also Calamansi as well. On the other hand, if you dry a tamarind, soak it salt and chili (there are only have four ingredients in the tamarind candy: Tamarind, sugar, salt, chili) and roll it in sugar that tart berry is kinda tasty.
These candies have a good burn to them too. My oft Guinea Pig DQ suggests sucking on the candies rather than chewing on them because the chili gets really zesty if you do. Otherwise the candy has a nice slow burn mixed in with the sweet and the tart. That’s not to say that you couldn’t chew them down but if you don’t have a mouth for the hot then you’re better off eating these slowly. Eventually you may have to eat the rest of the tamarind candy and that will be a spicy, tart, sweet, chewy, delicious bit.
Rating of 3.5 Wasabi Pea out of a possible 5.
