Author Topic: How good does Carambola taste?  (Read 3474 times)

BonsaiBeast

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How good does Carambola taste?
« on: October 15, 2018, 01:43:10 AM »
I have never had properly ripened star fruit. I have only tried poor quality starfruit from the store, where the fruit was a very pale yellow with tinges of green. I was pretty unimpressed.

But I was wondering, a properly ripened starfruit will obviously taste much better. But where does starfruit rank in taste next to amazing fruits like peach, mango, cherimoya?

I'm curious what your opinions are of this fruit.

SoCal2warm

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #1 on: October 15, 2018, 01:56:51 AM »
It tastes good but not really good. There's something intriguing and tropical about the flavor that compels one to want to eat more. But at the same time, the flavor is a little watery, slightly insipid, kind of sour and not very sweet. I think most people would agree it's an okay fruit but not a really good one.

The shape of the fruits are very ornamental and decorative though. It's the type of thing that makes a good garnish on a salad.

You are right though, a full ripened fresh one tastes noticeably and substantially better than the typical one found at a supermarket.
Maybe the typical supermarket one is a 6 or 6.5 out of 10, while a fresh fully ripe one is 7.5 , maybe approaching 8.

Fresh has more and better flavor than supermarket one. If you don't feel like the flavor of the supermarket fruit is anything special, that might change if you try a good one.

This is a comment I found left by somebody else:
"A starfruit picked fresh off the tree tastes substantially different than all the ones I have tasted from supermarkets. True, it was kind of bland, a bit watery, sour, and very slightly astringent, but it also had a very compelling tropical-like flavor to it that made me keep eating."
« Last Edit: October 15, 2018, 02:09:06 AM by SoCal2warm »

Ulfr

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #2 on: October 15, 2018, 02:41:30 AM »
Good enough for me to plant one, but not good enough for me to plant two haha. I like it cut up and put in a water infuser thing I occasionally use.

Capt Ram

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #3 on: October 15, 2018, 03:10:12 AM »
Not all starfruit cultivars are created equal several that are excellent and there are several that are not very good at all, so like mangos you can get a turpentine mango full of strings that don't taste very good or you can get a sweet tart that's excellent don't judge star fruit by just tasting one or two varieties you got to find out which one's best
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jako9403

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #4 on: October 15, 2018, 03:42:49 AM »
It’s fun to grow regardless of the taste in my opinion.

HibachiDrama

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #5 on: October 15, 2018, 07:04:44 AM »
Just tasted two varieties, Bell and Sri Kembangan, and was blown away by the difference between store bought and tree ripened. They were both refreshingly sweet with nice acidity. The Sri seemed a bit more "starfruity"/floral, while the Bell was somewhat sweeter and more neutral. Would recommend either variety if you have space and don't have much producing this time of year.

achetadomestica

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #6 on: October 15, 2018, 08:22:36 AM »

Try dehydrating it. 

palmcity

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #7 on: October 15, 2018, 10:12:05 AM »
I have never had properly ripened star fruit. I have only tried poor quality starfruit from the store, where the fruit was a very pale yellow with tinges of green. I was pretty unimpressed.

But I was wondering, a properly ripened starfruit will obviously taste much better. But where does starfruit rank in taste next to amazing fruits like peach, mango, cherimoya?

I'm curious what your opinions are of this fruit.
I only have two trees so limited varieties etc. Two people in my family enjoy eating it year round if fruit are on the tree. I only enjoy eating it when IMO they are sweet.

This past summer I did not think the fruit was sweet and I would not eat it and most were light yellow to greenish (they had a hard time advancing to orange color if at all). But 2 other family members ate the summer fruit and apparently thought they were good.

Over the past about 10 days the trees are more loaded with fruit and I have enjoyed eating the fruit that go from the light green to orange color and IMO means they are sweeter. It is also good to have another fruit to eat at this time of the year in S. Fl. with only a few mangos left on the trees if you have enough mango variety in your yard.

All 3 of the people who eat mango and carambola here believe the mango taste better than the ripe orange carambola; but carambola is good for a change of taste.
« Last Edit: October 15, 2018, 10:17:31 AM by palmcity »

HIfarm

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #8 on: October 15, 2018, 12:10:04 PM »
As others have mentioned, most do not consider this a top tier fruit (I would certainly put it under the 3 fruits you mention).  There are better varieties as some have mentioned but some are pretty bad.  To me, most seem to have a vegetal component but in the better varieties, there is enough fruity flavor & sweetness to offset this and make them more interesting.  Not a bad fruit to clear your palate after breakfast, for example, but not many people would be saying "oh boy, starfruit!" when they see one.

Another strike against this fruit is that it can be harmful to those with impaired kidney function so, if you have any kidney issues best to eat this sparingly, if at all.

John

gnappi

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #9 on: October 15, 2018, 01:40:12 PM »
I love starfruit , so much so I planted three. I did it because i didn't want to find I did not care for one just to have to plant another. The three I planted were kari, bell and kajang.

After three seasons I decided to cut down the bell as the kajang and kari were consistently better. There's still more fruit than I can eat and I may take one other down but my neighbors and friends can eat a lot so for now they stay.

The reason I believe the store fruits are so bad is not because the cultivar is inferior but because they are picked green. They just do not develop the sugars and flavor unless ripened on the tree.

I like to pick them when the fruit starts to develop what I call "age spots" which are brown spots on the skin. Too many or large spots and the fruit starts to go sour.

Also I cook with carambola and have created a Carambola curry chicken dish that goes over REALLY well with everyone who tried it.

I also juice them and freeze it and make mixed drinks with grenadine syrup and vodka for friends.

Calling Carambola insipid is IMO so far off the mark it doesn't deserve discussion. There is a difference between sweet and taste , lack of sweet does not mean lack of taste or flavor. Now dragon fruit? That's insipid.



« Last Edit: October 15, 2018, 01:45:50 PM by gnappi »
Regards,

   Gary

Doug

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #10 on: October 15, 2018, 01:50:50 PM »

I don't think anyone mentioned how wonderfully crunchy the fruit is. I have Arkins, and the fruit it sweet with a very tropical flavor. I love mixing the juice of the sour variety fruits with other fruit juices. Unbeatable!

Brev Grower

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #11 on: October 15, 2018, 02:08:30 PM »
I have a Sri Kembangen starfruit that I enjoy in the summer and the winter. I think they are quite sweet and refreshing. No, not as good as mangoes, but what fruit is? I love my tree and like how much it produces. My wife, on the other hand doesn't like something about the taste. Maybe too acidic for her? To each their own. But, I would try some fresh starfruit properly ripened on a tree before I went out and bought one to make sure you are not someone who just doesn't like the flavor.

roblack

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #12 on: October 15, 2018, 05:37:59 PM »
Starfruit is refreshing. A good one can be flavorful, in a somewhat subtle way. It feels good eating them, and they look really cool cut up on a plate.

It's nice to eat foods with different flavor profiles. If you are looking for something like a good mango in terms of sweetness, there are no starfruit cultivars that I know of that make the grade. 

They are also beautiful trees. Mine is perhaps the prettiest tree in the yard.

johnb51

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #13 on: October 15, 2018, 05:59:16 PM »
There's an astringency about starfruit that detracts from the flavor.  Otherwise, it can be quite good--crunchy and juicy with just enough sweetness, especially a variety like Sri Kembangan.  A store-bought one picked green would have be a total waste of money.  It's worth growing because it doesn't take up a lot of space, but no, it's not a top-tier fruit. 
John

BonsaiBeast

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #14 on: October 15, 2018, 06:04:36 PM »
Can carambola grow in partial shade?

roblack

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #15 on: October 15, 2018, 07:04:36 PM »
Yes, they can grow well and fruit in partial shade.

I taste no astringency in the fruits off my Kari tree.

pineislander

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #16 on: October 15, 2018, 07:48:50 PM »
The odd taste that people are seeking to describe about Carambola comes from a high oxalic acid content, which is also why it may affect folks with kidney malfunction. I'm not sure how many people have actually tasted a 'sour' type Carambola but it is an experience you won't forget if you do. You could clean a radiator with it! Tolerable but not even very sweet with miracle fruit.

http://rfcarchives.org.au/Next/Fruits/Carambola/CarambolaAcid1-91.htm

roblack

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #17 on: October 15, 2018, 08:31:58 PM »
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4683968/

Need to be careful with carambola. Probably no one should be eating a ton of it.

I always cut the green parts off, like the edges/wings of the star points. Hope that helps.
« Last Edit: October 15, 2018, 08:34:22 PM by roblack »

waldi1

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #18 on: October 15, 2018, 09:03:06 PM »
I have 3 types of Carambola trees from sour ,sweet n sour and sweet and I mean realy very sweet.

IndigoEmu

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #19 on: October 15, 2018, 09:45:41 PM »
Yes, they can grow well and fruit in partial shade.

I taste no astringency in the fruits off my Kari tree.

Do you pick them when all green is gone?

Accidentally pulled off one nearly ripe from my Kari tree, it had three out of five green ribs still, but I cut them off. Two of the ribs were browning. It tasted somewhat astringent with only the slightest hint of citrus sweetness; took a couple bites and threw it away. Not terrible but not something I’d enjoy eating.

 These are the first fruits I let the tree keep since it flowered after planting it early this year, there’s still three left. I’m wondering if I picked it too early or if these first fruits are going to be mediocre. Are the sweet varieties astringent until fully ripened? I recall eating star fruit with green still on them and while a little sour the cottony mouth feel wasn’t there.

Mugenia

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #20 on: October 15, 2018, 10:37:28 PM »
I have 3 varieties of carambola as well- sour, Kari, and some Chinese sounding named variety. I am looking forward to taste everyone of them. I hope the sour one is not as sour as the bilimbi.

fruitlovers

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #21 on: October 16, 2018, 02:12:42 AM »
Like with any other fruit, there are some people that like it, and others that don't.
It usually doesn't make it to most people's top 10, though i know someone who told me it's their favorite fruit.
The ones sold at supermarkets, especially on mainland USA look to me to be totally inedible. No way i would ever buy them. They are picked way too green, don't ripen off the tree, and green parts contain harmful oxalic acids.
Here they get a very low price at market. One big reason for this is that the trees are so incredibly productive. So during season there is a big glut on the market. And a lot of people here still don't know what it is, so not much demand.
I have 5 trees, so usually have tons more than i can use. I juice a lot of them, but still don't put a dent in what the trees are producing. The quality of the juice is really quite good, comparable to orange juice. Should really sell them to a distributor, but hardly worth the trouble for the price they will pay.
« Last Edit: October 16, 2018, 02:16:40 AM by fruitlovers »
Oscar

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Re: How good does Carambola taste?
« Reply #22 on: October 16, 2018, 02:17:36 AM »
there is a sweet variety , it is better than the normal one, u can also make pickle or preservatives by adding vinegar and salt to it...