The tamarind (from Arabic, meaning Indian date) is the fruit of the tamarind tree. Consumed and marketed all over the world (in the form of dried whole tamarind blocks), this fruit is particularly popular in Levantine cuisine. The pods are brown in colour and the pulp contains a few seeds. In the Near East, its juice is consumed and used in cooking to give a pleasant acidic note. Like kamardine juice, tamarind juice is the star of cold infusions during Ramadan, for its revitalizing and refreshing virtues. In cooking, tamarind juice (unsweetened) is used in some Syrian-Lebanese specialties (fatteh, makloubeh, bamieh, etc...) to give a very characteristic sour and acidic taste.