Carambola is an exotic fruit native to Asia. The unusual taste and appearance made it popular in cooking. It is used as a decoration, as an addition to other products, and also as an independent dish. Carambola is a dietary product with a huge amount of nutrients. But it is worth using carefully, because it is not suitable for everyone.
"Tropical Star"
The carambola plant comes from South and Southeast Asia. It is traditionally found in Indonesia, India, Thailand and Sri Lanka, but today it is even distributed on other continents. Unusual fruit was not disregarded. Once he was brought to Israel, Brazil, the USA, Ghana, French Polynesia and Guiana, where he feels great in a tropical and subtropical climate.
Carambola is a thermophilic plant with an unusual sour-sweet taste. In the context of its fruits resemble a star, so the fruit is called "starfruit" or "tropical star." Its taste is compared with gooseberries, plums, grapes, apples, and sometimes with everything together. In our stores, the fruit is usually more acidic than in the places where it is grown. This is not surprising, because they tear him a little sleepy so that he does not deteriorate on the road.
Appearance
By origin, carambola is a plant of the acid family of the genus Averroa. It is a tree or bush with a height of 5 to 12 centimeters. Carambola is an evergreen and never drops foliage. In tropical regions, it bears fruit all year round, in the subtropics it ripens only in a certain season. In Thailand, for example, fruit sings from May to August.
The carambola tree has a thick bushy crown and leaves hanging down. Lilac or pink flowers have a bell-shaped shape and are decorated with five petals with a white border. Flowers collected in inflorescence brush.
Carambola leaves are cirrus and similar in structure to acacia leaves. Each of them grows up to 20 centimeters in length and consists of 5-11 leaves up to 9 centimeters long. All but the last, the leaves are located opposite each other. On the front side, they are painted in medium saturation, a green tint, and from below they have a pale light green color. Carambola leaves are sensitive to light and close at night. In the same way, they respond to sudden shocks in strong winds or when touched by hands.
The glossy carambola fruits are yellow-green or tan. They have an elongated oval shape and several ribs, which give the fruit a sectional view of a star. The fruits are usually crunchy and very juicy, thanks to which they quench thirst perfectly.
Beneficial features
It is considered a diet fruit. Unlike bananas or grapes, which contain more than 70 calories, in a hundred grams of carambola, only 31 calories. Despite this, it contains a large number of vitamins and minerals. The ripe carambola pulp is rich in magnesium, calcium, copper, vitamin A, and B vitamins. Approximately 90 g of fruit contains 1 g of protein, about 3 g of carbohydrates and half the daily intake of vitamin C.
Carambol also contains many organic acids, although the effect of many of them has not yet been fully studied. It is believed that quercetin in it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The tropical fruit also contains a small amount (12 micrograms) of folic acid, or vitamin B 9. She is involved in important processes in the body: hematopoiesis, restorative reactions, strengthening immunity, maintaining the functions of the liver and intestines.
Carambola peel consists of fiber and is also useful. Its fibers contribute to digestion, improving bowel function. They reduce the absorption of harmful cholesterol and protect the gastrointestinal mucosa from the penetration of toxins.
Scientists have not conducted specific studies on the benefits of carambola, but the local population of the Asian countries where it is grown are confident in its beneficial effects on the body. In traditional medicine, it is used against rash, headache, gall bladder diseases and hemorrhoids. A decoction of the leaves of the plant is used as an anti-inflammatory and antiemetic agent. The high content of vitamin C in it contributes to the fact that carambola perfectly fights with a hangover syndrome, eliminating the severe consequences of the action of alcohol.
In folk medicine, tropical asterisk flowers are considered anthelmintic, and ground roots and leaves are used against skin diseases. Carambola seeds have also found application - they make a powder that has a sedative effect.
Fruit harm
The content of vitamins and minerals in carambol makes it a rather useful product. However, not all substances in it positively affect the human body and can even harm it. That is why eating exotic fruit should be limited without abusing it.
In addition to ascorbic and folic acids, carambola is rich in oxalic acid. Because of this, the fruit is contraindicated in people with a tendency to gastritis, enterocolitis, stomach and intestinal ulcers. The regular use of caarambol in large quantities leads to kidney problems and impaired salt metabolism in the body.
Cooking use
In the kitchen, carambola is an almost universal product that is suitable for desserts as well as for more serious dishes. Not only fruits are considered edible, but also other parts of the plant. For example, in India, salads are prepared from fruit leaves.
Carambola juice is drunk freshly squeezed, jelly and sorbet are made from it. Her "stars" are a common decoration for cocktails, fruit salads, ice cream or pastries. Fresh raw fruit is suitable for sauces, and lightly boiled fruit is used for jam, pudding and marmalade.
The unripe fruits of carambola differ significantly in taste and resemble a vegetable crop, not a fruit. Everywhere they are stewed, boiled, baked and served with fish, meat or cereals. In China, I stuff fish with starfruit, in Thailand they add to seafood or stew with spices and other fruits. The versatile and healthy carambola is even suitable for pickling in saline.
How to choose a fruit?
As mentioned above, the taste qualities of carambola differ, depending on its ripeness. A fully ripened fruit will be slightly soft, but still resilient. Its ribs are fleshy and bloated, with a dark brown stripe. The fruit itself has a rich dark yellow hue, a sweet taste and a light aroma of jasmine.
The green fruit of carambola will be much harder, and its hue will be closer to green. The taste of unripe fruit is sour and tart. Many people like carambola just like that, so special varieties were developed that retain acidity even in a ripe fruit. Among them, the most famous are the "golden star", "newcomer", "star king". Sweet varieties are “demak”, “maha”, “fuang dong”.
Like persimmon or kiwi, carambola can ripen even after it is torn from a tree. To do this, it should be kept at room temperature. It is better to store the ripe fruit in the refrigerator, where it will last another two weeks.
Own carambola in the country
This tropical fruit is not found on plantations in temperate latitudes. It is brought to us mainly from India and Thailand. But you can grow it yourself, directly from the seeds of the fruit bought in the store. The only minus of such an enterprise is that it is impossible to guess which (sour or sweet) fruits of the home tree will be.
To grow carambola at home, you need a well-ripened fruit without damage and visible defects. The seeds must be pulled out carefully, being careful not to damage them while cutting the fruit. They quickly lose their germination capacity, so you should not postpone planting. To increase the chances and speed up the process, they are soaked in settled water at room temperature, and after 12 hours they are sown in the ground.
In the tropics, the soil is well-drained and easily passes air; at home, the plant needs to provide similar conditions. The air temperature should also be relatively high, and not fall below 25 degrees. Given this, carambola should be planted in the summer.
