Tamarind (also known as Tamarindus indica) is a medium-growth hardwood tree. It has green feather-shaped leaves, long fruits with hard pods, and brown skin. Tamarind is native to Africa and grows in many other tropical areas, such as India, Thailand, and Pakistan. It is used in many cuisines around the world and can even have medicinal properties.

The pods contain a soft and fleshy pulp  with large seeds. While the young fruit has a green pulp, the ripe one has a dark-brown pulp with a texture similar to dates.