Manila Sweet Tamarind

Tamarindus indica 'Manila Sweet'

fruit

Tamarind is a large, long-lived tropical legume tree grown for the sticky pulp inside its long brown pods - sweet-tart and intensely flavored, it is a staple of drinks, candies, chutneys, curries, and sauces around the world. Sweet types such as Manila Sweet have far less of the mouth-puckering acidity of common tamarind, so the pulp can be eaten straight from the pod. Beyond the fruit, tamarind is a magnificent shade tree with a broad, dense crown of fine, feathery leaves and notably wind-firm wood, prized as a street and landscape tree in the frost-free tropics. It is slow but enduring, eventually reaching 40 to 65 ft.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Lemongrass — A clumping aromatic that thrives in the warm, well-drained ground beneath the open canopy and helps deter some pests
• Sweet Potato — A groundcover living mulch for the wide, sunny root zone of a young tamarind
• Cowpea — A legume cover crop that fixes nitrogen and protects bare soil around a newly planted tree

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Generally pest-free

  Tamarind has no pests or diseases of major concern - simply give it full sun, good drainage, and frost protection while young

• Scale and mealybugs →

  Only occasional - rinse off colonies or treat hot spots with horticultural oil if they appear

• Root rot →

  Avoid waterlogged ground and plant in well-drained soil to prevent rot in heavy or flooded sites

🌾 Harvest & storage

Grafted or air-layered tamarinds bear in about 3 to 4 years (seedlings take far longer). The curved 2 to 7 inch pods turn from green to brown as they mature, over roughly late fall into spring depending on the tree. They are ready when the shell is brown and brittle and the pulp inside has shrunk slightly and turned sticky and sweet-tart; many growers leave sweet types on the tree until fully ripe. Pick or shake down the pods, then crack the shell and remove the stringy fibers to use the pulp. Pulp stores for months refrigerated or frozen.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Tamarind pulp is energy-dense at about 239 calories per 100 g, with a high 5 g fiber, an exceptional 628 mg potassium, plus magnesium, iron, and B vitamins. Its concentrated sweet-tart flavor seasons drinks, candies, sauces, chutneys, and curries - a little goes a long way.