Have you tried tamarind seeds? It used to be one of my favorites growing up. Grandma would roast it and bring when she comes visiting us. We remove the shell by hitting it with a rock or something or sometimes Grandma would de shell it in bulk in the grinding stone. We'll soak the seeds in water and after a while it will be chewable soft. Mostly I like eating it as is, soaking it in my mouth... Sometimes I eat it raw too, it has somewhat of a bitter taste as the skin sticks to it. Favorite of all is plucking raw tamarind from Grandma's well-side tree and quickly biting in to remove the skin and other sour parts to get to the fresh seeds... I can still visualize the tree and how myself and my cousins will claim our favorite spots on the tree to sit on it with our feet dangling below, watching Grandma washing the clothes, applying neelam blue for her whites, carefully making starch for her other voile favorites, Grandma's assistants washing fish by the other side of the well, calling us to show the eggs inside and we starting to fight already for who gets it when it is fried... oh! how I long to be back there back then...
OK, getting back to the tamarind seeds, the reason I recall it is that last night while making sambar I came across a rare tamarind seed and was staring at it long and hard, flying back in time to the memories of the carefree tree climbing days, Grandma living days and wondering how far I have traveled from there since then.
Yes, I tried it; no, it didn't taste the same - the tamarind seed. I guess it only tastes good when it comes from Grandma... I am sure there will be tamarind trees in heaven too. Won't there?
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