A tamarind is a big tropical tree, and also the fruit it makes. The fruit is a brown pod, a bit like a fat curved bean, and inside is a soft dark-brown paste around some hard seeds. That paste is the useful part.

A tamarind羅望子 is a big tropical tree是一種很大的熱帶樹 and also the fruit it makes也指它結出來的果實 The fruit這個果實 is a brown pod是一個棕色的莢果 a bit like a fat curved bean有點像一根胖胖彎彎的豆莢 and inside is a soft dark-brown paste裡面則是一層軟軟的深棕色果肉 around some hard seeds包著幾顆硬硬的種子 That paste這層果肉 is the useful part才是有用的部分

It tastes sour first, then sweet behind the sour. The word usually points at the food, not the tree.

It它 tastes sour first吃起來先是酸的 then sweet behind the sour酸味後面接著一點甜 The word這個詞 usually points at the food通常指的是食物 not the tree而不是那棵樹

In cooking, tamarind is what gives that deep sour taste in Thai, Indian, Filipino and Mexican dishes — pad thai, Indian chutney, sinigang, and the sour tamarind sweets and drinks sold in Southeast Asia. You buy it as a sticky block, as paste in a jar, or as juice. If a recipe says "add tamarind", it almost always means the paste or the water made from it, not the tree and not the whole pod.

In cooking在料理裡 tamarind is what gives that deep sour taste羅望子就是帶來那種濃郁酸味的東西 in Thai, Indian, Filipino and Mexican dishes出現在泰式、印度、菲律賓和墨西哥料理裡 pad thai, Indian chutney, sinigang像是泰式炒河粉（pad thai）、印度酸甜醬（chutney）、菲律賓酸湯（sinigang） and the sour tamarind sweets and drinks sold in Southeast Asia以及東南亞在賣的羅望子酸味糖果和飲料 You buy it你買到的它 as a sticky block可能是一整塊黏黏的 as paste in a jar也可能是罐裝的醬 or as juice或是果汁 If a recipe says "add tamarind"如果食譜寫「add tamarind」（加羅望子） it almost always means the paste or the water made from it幾乎都是指羅望子醬或用它泡出來的水 not the tree and not the whole pod不是指那棵樹，也不是指整條果莢

One small thing worth knowing: the sour taste is not lemon sour. Lemon is sharp and bright and disappears; tamarind is round and dark and stays in the mouth. Cooks pick tamarind exactly for that difference, so swapping in lemon juice changes the dish more than students expect.

One small thing worth knowing有件小事值得知道 the sour taste is not lemon sour這種酸不是檸檬的那種酸 Lemon is sharp and bright and disappears檸檬的酸尖銳、明亮，很快就散去 tamarind is round and dark and stays in the mouth羅望子的酸則圓潤、深沉，會留在嘴裡 Cooks pick tamarind exactly for that difference廚師選羅望子，要的正是這種差別 so swapping in lemon juice changes the dish more than students expect所以換成檸檬汁，對這道菜的改變會比學生想的還要大