Meaning
A sweet-and-sour treat made from tamarind pulp ('tambran') rolled with sugar — and often a little salt and hot pepper — into sticky balls. The tangy, mouth-puckering tamarind against the sugar gives tambran ball its irresistible sweet-sour-salty punch, and it is a beloved Jamaican snack sold in little twists of plastic from trays and shop counters, especially loved by children.
Examples
-
Mi mout water fi a tambran ball.
My mouth waters for a tamarind ball.
-
Di tambran ball sweet, sour an likkle bit peppery.
The tamarind ball is sweet, sour, and a little bit peppery.
-
Roll di tambran wid sugar an salt.
Roll the tamarind with sugar and salt.
-
Gi mi two tamarind ball from di shop.
Give me two tamarind balls from the shop.
-
Di tamarind ball sour an sweet an likkle bit peppery.
The tamarind ball is sour, sweet, and a little peppery.
Origin
From 'tambran' (tamarind) + 'ball'; a sweet-sour tamarind sweet. See Tambran, Mint ball.
How it’s used
A sweet-sour-salty tamarind-pulp sweet. See Tambran, Mint ball.