Tamarindo: Nature's Sour Patch Kids

Giovanni served his mission in Puerto Rico, where they would pick and eat fruit from the trees as they walked and avocados grew to the size of your head.  At times he reminisces about the wonderful fruits he would eat and how delicious they tasted ripe off the trees.  Of course I am jealous every time he talks about it.  One fruit in particular that he loved is called a tamarindo.  It looks like this:

They are basically seeds covered with a sweet tangy fruit that almost has the consistency of gummy candy--like fruit snacks.  Well, to Gio's great delight we actually found this wonderful creation at the grocery store last week!  They tasted a bit different than Gio remembers them in Puerto Rico (as we suspected, since they have to travel so far).  Apparently in Puerto Rico, they are sweet, tangy and delectable...but when we popped them in our mouths we got a surprise.  They were so sour!!!  It was pretty funny to watch our faces contort, but all in all, they were delicious.  Gio called them "Nature's Sour Patch Kids."

So we recommend trying them, but preferably straight from the tree!