The Sour and Tangy Taste

Proper Usage of Tamarind (Imli), Kokum, Lemon, and Vinegar in food.

Most of the People are confused about the usage of Sour/Tangy, The confusion is in which food the Tamarind, Lemon, Kokum, or Vinegar has to be used. If you taste properly you will find there are variations in tanginess. Let me explain to you in basic details each of them.

Tamarind: From tangy soups like Mulligatawny Soup (has its origins in the Indian cuisine of the Madras in Tamil Nadu) to sweet chutneys, to juices and carbonated drinks, tamarind is a versatile ingredient used to flavor in both sweet and savory dishes.

Combined with sugar or jaggery which can tone down the tart taste and enhance the taste of sugar or jaggery. It can be a substitute taste for Kokum but will not able to balance 100 %. It is widely used as a spiced condiment in most of South Asia mostly in Indian and Thai dishes.

Tamarind Chutney

Kokum: It is a small cherry-like summer fruit, which is red to purple when ripe. It is widely found in the Western Ghat region of India. This is mostly used in the cuisines of Coastal states of Southern India, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, When added to food it imparts a slight purple-ish color. Some cuisines also use it as a preferred substitute for tamarind in curries and other dishes. Apart from being used for cooking it is also famous as Kokum sherbet as well.

Very simple question, where and how to use? Firstly, for any dish which has coconut ( grated, paste, or milk), kokum is used. It enhances the flavor and taste of coconut and balances the tanginess. Tamarind can be a substitute but cannot be the origin.

Lemon: Lemons are among the world’s most popular citrus fruits. They grow on lemon trees and are a hybrid of the original citron and lime. Lemon juice in its natural state is acidic with a pH  2, but once metabolized it actually becomes alkaline with a pH above 7. So, outside the body, anyone can see that lemon juice is very acidic. However, once fully digested, its effect is proven to be alkalizing with many health benefits. There are many ways to enjoy lemons, but they taste very sour and are usually not eaten alone or as a whole fruit.

If Lemon is used in marinating, Acids like lemon juice, lime juice break down raw meat, allowing the marinade’s oil and spices to deeply penetrate and infuse the meat with flavor and moisture. In India, mostly lemon pickles or mixed pickles are made with lemon.

Mostly, Lemon is used either in the first phase or the last phase of cooking for example marinating is the first phase of cooking or 3 to 4 minutes after cooking start or before bringing down the dish from the heat to give a light tanginess taste and flavor. This is all about balancing and enhancing the taste, flavor, and texture.

Vinegar: Vinegar is an acidic liquid made from the fermentation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria. It can be made from a variety of base ingredients that contribute their own unique characteristics to the vinegar and add extra flavor and vibrancy to foods they are used with.

It is used in cooking not only for its flavor qualities but also for its chemical properties. There are Wine Vinegar (red and white), Distilled Vinegar, Malt Vinegar, Rice Vinegar(This pale yellow variety is sweeter in taste as compared to other vinegar) White Vinegar ( is made from the fermentation of grain This one is most commonly found in Indian kitchens), Balsamic Vinegar(made wholly or partially from grape must) and Cider Vinegar (is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples)

It has a strong sour taste, mostly used in boiling food to get infuse of food, looking to have a strong tanginess in food like a vindaloo, sorpotel, or marinating mostly red meat.