Cooking and drinking tamarind products have become very popular. The tamarind or tamarindo is a well known ingredient in Thai and Indian recipes, they are also used in Mexico to make aguas frescas and dulces de tamarindo: tamarind drinks and candies.
The pods of the tamarind tree, which was brought to Mexico from India, contain large seeds surrounded by a sticky brown pulp, which is sold as tamarind paste for use in Asian cooking. Tamarind pods are sold in bulk and smaller bags catering to Thai, Indian and Latino communities.