Garcinia gummi-gutta - Garcinia cambogia Seeds

Description

Garcinia gummi-gutta is a tropical species of Garcinia native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. Common names include Garcinia cambogia (a former scientific name), as well as brindle berry, and Malabar tamarind. The fruit looks like a small pumpkin and is green to pale yellow in color.

This fruit, resembling a fluted pastry, is actually very tasty with a tart tangy aril around the seeds, not unlike the well known mangosteen. In India it is relished as a fresh fruit and its intense color is capable of coloring hundreds of times its volume into a brilliant Fuchsia pink. The tree thrives in hot humid climates and bears prolifically.

Garcinia gummi-gutta is used in cooking, including in the preparation of curries to add a sour flavor. The fruit rind and extracts of Garcinia species are used in many traditional recipes used in food preparation in Southeast Asian countries. In the Indian Ayurvedic medicine, “sour” flavors are said to activate digestion. The extract and rind of G. gummi-gutta is a curry condiment in India. It is an essential souring ingredient in the southern Thai variant of kaeng som, a sour curry.