The edible part (pulp) Tamarindus indica L (Tsamiya) is a leguminous tree that grows wild in the tropics (De Wit 1966;Duke and Weber 1981). It thrives well in the north of Nigeria, where the fruit is popular. The pulp is widely used for foods and beverages, and the seeds are sometimes used as a soup seasoner.In Nigeria, as in other developing countries, fruits and vegetables constitute the major available food item after cereals and tubers. Information on the chemical composition of Tamarindus indica (Tsamiya) pulp and seed grown in Nigeria is lacking, and we therefore sought to provide such data as a basis for their utilisation.The tamarind fruits, from the local market, were separated into epicarp, pulp and seed and each was then dried and ground into powder. All analyses were by standard methods (AOAC 1980). The mineral composition was determined on the ash using an EEL type flame photometer for Na and K, using a method of Allen (1 974) for phosphorus and a Pye-Unicam atomic absorption spectrophotometer for the other elements. Phytic acid was determined by the method of Allen (1974) and trypsin inhibitor activity by the method of Roy and Rao (1971).