Puli is Tamarindus indica, tamarind — the sour-sweet pulp that Tamil kitchens dissolve into rasam and that Hindi kitchens call imli. It is a tree, not a shrub, and the block of pulp in a shop is a processed fruit, not a bark.
- Botanical name
- Tamarindus indica L.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Tamil
- Puli
- Hindi
- Imli
- Sanskrit
- Cincā
- Parts used
- Fruit pulp, Sometimes seed, leaf and flower
- Habit
- Large long-lived tree; the kitchen object is the pulp around the seeds
- Last updated
- 2026-10-30
How to recognise Puli
Linnaeus published Tamarindus indica. The family is Fabaceae. It is a large, spreading, evergreen or briefly deciduous tree with even-pinnate leaves that fold at dusk, pale yellow flowers marked with red, and a brittle brown pod packed with sticky pulp and hard seeds.
The pulp is brown, sour and fibrous, sold in blocks, concentrates or as whole pods. Seed and fibre content vary with how the block was pressed. A shiny industrial paste and a village block are the same species at different mills.
Tamil puli, Hindi imli and Sanskrit cincā / tintidī are the kitchen names. English tamarind (from Arabic tamr hindī, “Indian date”) is reliable. Garcinia (kudampuli, kokum) is a different souring fruit and a different family.
Young leaves and flowers are eaten in some districts. They are not the block in the rasam tin and should be labelled as leaf or flower.
Most South Indians already know the tree from a courtyard that fills with pods in the hot season.
“Sweet” and “sour” tamarind are cultivars and ripeness stages, not two species.
The tree’s pinnate leaves fold at night, which children notice before they notice the flowers. That sleep movement is a family habit, not an identification by itself — several peas do it — but together with the brittle pod it is this tree.
Traditional use of Puli
South Asian food
Pulp is a souring agent.
Tamil, Hindi and wider kitchen practice
Ayurveda and household
Cincā appears as a sour fruit in those lists. Sour food is not a treatment claim.
Ayurvedic headings and household practice
Modern notes on Puli
Tartaric acid and other fruit acids are the chemistry a cook already tastes. A sour block is not a “detox.”
The practical modern issue is pulp stretched with salt, colour or other sour fruits, and concentrates that do not say how much tamarind is in the bottle.
Puli safety
Seed-kernel preparations and highly concentrated pastes are not a rasam.
Very sour lots can bother teeth and reflux. That is cookery, not a disease story.
People on some medicines (the same broad conversation as other acidic foods and juices) should ask a clinician, not a pickle jar, if intake is large and daily.
Ecology and sourcing
The tree is planted, long-lived and useful as shade. Pod harvest does not kill it. Clearing a tree for a road does.
Related plants
Also in Fabaceae
Questions about Puli
Is kudampuli the same as tamarind?
No. Kudampuli is usually a Garcinia. Tamarind is Tamarindus indica. Both sour a fish curry; they are different plants.
What is the Tamil name of Tamarindus indica?
Puli.
Sources
- Tamarindus indica L. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q80235 (Tamarindus indica)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.