Recipe
🥤 DRINK
Jus de Tamarin
A sweet-and-sour tamarind drink steeped from the pods, strained, and chilled, a tangy Central African refresher.
Central African · easy · serves 6
prep 20 min · cook 0 min
~99 cal · 0g protein · 26g carbs · 0g fat · 0g fiber · 26g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Jus de tamarin is a tangy drink from the Central African Republic, the sour pulp of the pod steeped in water, sweetened, and served cold. grows across the savanna and lends its distinctive sweet-sour flavor to this refreshing beverage.
The drink balances 's puckering tartness with sugar, making a cooling refresher for the tropical heat. is valued across Africa for both flavor and its reputed digestive benefits.
Sold by vendors and made at home in Bangui, jus de tamarin is a cheap, wholesome refresher.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
1 cup pulp (with seeds)
2 cups warm water
5 cups cold water
3/4 cup sugar
Instructions
1
Soak the tamarind pulp in the warm water for 15 minutes until soft.
2
Work it with your fingers to release the pulp, then strain out the seeds and fibers.
3
Stir the tamarind extract into the cold water with the sugar until dissolved.
4
Chill thoroughly and serve over ice, adjusting the sweet-sour balance to taste.
Bangui courtyard tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Bangui. Bangui is a riverside capital cooking cassava in every form, with sauces built on pumpkin and squash seeds ground to a rich paste. Smoked river fish, bushmeat stews, and fiery pepper accompany the staple chikwangue.
🗺️
Central African Republic. Kanda is the country's real signature and it is not a peanut sauce: pumpkin or squash seeds toasted and ground, bound with okra and meat or fish into a dense stew. Some of the squashes involved are African natives rather than American imports, which quietly complicates the usual story about where squash comes from.
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Africa. Africa's fifty-four nations hold cuisines as different as Morocco's slow-cooked tagines and South Africa's open-fire braai, yet shared threads run through them: ancient grains like millet, sorghum, and teff; stews thickened with groundnut, okra, or palm; and fiery condiments from Tunisian harissa to Ethiopian berbere. Staple starches, fufu, injera, ugali, couscous, anchor communal meals often eaten by hand from a shared dish, where hospitality is a point of honor.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Central African Republic
Kanda ti NymaCentral African meatballs simmered in a nutty tomato-and-okra sauce thickened with ground pumpkin seeds.
BeignetsCentral African breakfast doughnuts: puffy, golden yeasted fritters fried fresh at dawn and dusted with sugar, eaten with sweet coffee.
Gozo with Groundnut SauceSmooth cassava fufu served with a rich, savory peanut sauce, an everyday plate across the Central African Republic.
Browse all Central African Republic recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Keep chilled and covered, and enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
Make it a Central African Republic meal
Kanda ti NymaDinner
Beignets de Banane (Banana Fritters)Dessert
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Drinks
Frequently asked questions
What is Jus de Tamarin?
A sweet-and-sour tamarind drink steeped from the pods, strained, and chilled, a tangy Central African refresher.
Where does Jus de Tamarin come from?
Jus de Tamarin is a Central African dish from Bangui, Central African Republic.
Can Jus de Tamarin be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Jus de Tamarin recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Jus de Tamarin safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Jus de Tamarin take to make?
About 20 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 0 minutes cooking), serving 6.
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