The Carambola or star fruit as it is known in the states is a sour fruit that personally I like quite a bit. I found that if you take a Carambola fruit and put either salt or season salt on it, the flavor is enhanced and it tastes even better. It can be found at one place that I know of but there are more that you can find I’m sure. Surprisingly enough this is found close by to the gold mine near Cotui, an hour and a half or so from our local Fantino area.

I found that the best way to eat a caranbola is to salt one of the five edges and take a big bite out of the salted area, then re-salt it and again take a big bite out of it. As you are eating this, I would say that there is more acidity than a lemon or lime. Pretty sour! But if you are a sour freak like me you really might like it.

The Carambola fruit grows on a usually shorter tree that has a wide crown. it gets its name from the fact that if you look at it from the top (or bottom) it has a specific five pointed star look to it. If you like to try new fruits you probably already know that there are some dangers to this fruit, mainly because it has a specific type of acid that can cause an allergic reaction resulting from a slightly swollen throat and the hiccups to vomiting, nausea, and mental confusion. people with kidney problems are more susceptible to these problems.

The fruit is said to be the best tasting when the color is a light yellow with a slight green tint and brownish edges. when it gets old it will turn anywhere from a burnt orange to a brown color and ferments very quickly so they must be eaten within a few days of buying them, especially if they get a little crushed and bruised. It has also been said by a few of the locals that this fruit would make a good beer type of drink although I have yet to try it.

While the Carambola or Star Fruit is grown here in the Dominican Republic it is not native to this country. The start fruit is native to Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka but is ground through out the Caribbean and even in some of the more tropical areas of the United States like Florida and Hawaii.

I would have to say that the Carambola fruit is one of my favorite fruits so far that I have found in this exotic wonderland that happens to be called the Dominican Republic.