Meaning
Tamarind — the brown pod tree whose sticky, sour-sweet pulp is a Jamaican favourite. 'Tambran' is eaten straight (sour enough to set your teeth), rolled with sugar and pepper into 'tamarind balls', made into a cooling drink, and used to season and in folk medicine. The switch from a tamarind tree ('tambran switch') was also the classic instrument of old-time discipline.
Examples
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Di tambran sour but sweet same time.
The tamarind is sour but sweet at the same time.
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Roll di tambran inna sugar fi mek ball.
Roll the tamarind in sugar to make tamarind balls.
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Granny did keep a tambran switch.
Grandma kept a tamarind switch (for discipline).
Origin
A Patois form of 'tamarind' (from Arabic 'tamr hindi', Indian date). See [[tamarind-ball]].
How it’s used
Tamarind — eaten sour, made into balls/drink; 'tambran switch' = a discipline rod. See [[tamarind-ball]].