Star Fruit / Carambola

Also known asCarambola · Starfruit · Belimbing · Averrhoa carambola · 杨桃

Name: Star fruit, also called carambola (Averrhoa carambola), named for the five-pointed star shape it shows when sliced across. Types are broadly divided into small, sour kinds and larger, sweeter ones.

Description

Star fruit is native to Sri Lanka and the Moluccas (Indonesia) in tropical Asia, where it has been cultivated for centuries, and is now grown across the tropics, including Southeast Asia, Taiwan, the Caribbean and Florida. The tree is small and handsome, and produces fruit year-round in warm climates.

The fruit is waxy yellow-green to yellow, with five prominent ridges, and a crisp, very juicy flesh. Sweet types are mild and refreshing, a little like a mix of apple, pear and citrus, while sour types are tart and sometimes used for juice and cooking. The skin is thin and edible. Sliced across, the star shapes are popular for decorating drinks and desserts.

Main nutrition value

Star fruit is low in calories and provides vitamin C and fibre, with a high water content.

How best to be consumed

Star fruit is eaten fresh, whole, with the thin skin on, after trimming the brown edges of the ridges.

1. Wash, trim the brown ridges, slice crosswise into stars and eat fresh.
2. Add to fruit salads, salsas and drinks, or use as a garnish.
3. Use sour types in juices, pickles and cooking.
4. Eat only ripe, yellow fruit.
5. People with kidney problems should not eat star fruit or drink its juice.

Overconsumption could cause…

Star fruit is safe for most people, but it is dangerous for people with kidney disease.

1. Serious illness in people with kidney disease, because star fruit contains a neurotoxin (caramboxin) and a lot of oxalate that the kidneys cannot clear, causing confusion, seizures and even death.
2. Kidney problems from oxalate in healthy people who drink large amounts of concentrated juice, particularly on an empty stomach.
3. Interactions with certain medicines, as star fruit contains compounds that can affect how some are processed.
4. Digestive upset from sour, unripe fruit.

GroupsTropical FruitsLow fatLow sodiumRich in vitamin CSoutheast AsianFresh

Related foodsDurianCalamansiDragon Fruit / PitayaLangsat / DukuMangosteenRambutan

Wikipedia — Carambola, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carambola