Meaning
A sweet-and-sour treat made from tamarind pulp kneaded with sugar — and often a little pepper and salt — then rolled into a sticky ball and dusted in sugar. A beloved old-time Jamaican candy sold at shops and by street vendors, the tamarind ball delivers a mouth-puckering punch of sour, sweet, and salty all at once, irresistible especially to children. It belongs with cut cake, grater cake, and drops among the classic homemade sweets, and its tangy, sticky bite is a fond taste of Jamaican childhood.
Examples
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Gi mi two tamarind ball from di shop.
Give me two tamarind balls from the shop.
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Di tamarind ball sour an sweet an likkle bit peppery.
The tamarind ball is sour, sweet, and a little peppery.
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Granny roll di tamarind ball inna sugar.
Granny rolled the tamarind balls in sugar.
Origin
Made from the pulp of the tamarind ('tambran') pod worked with sugar into balls; a traditional Caribbean sweet.
How it’s used
A classic penny-sweet; 'tambran' is the common Patois form of tamarind.