Carambola

Add a special twist to your next dish with this unusual fruit

Best to buy
Star fruit, or carambola, is available all year long.

Cut & clean
Star fruit does not need to be peeled. Simply rinse under cool water and slice.

The star of your next salad
When sliced, star fruit’s unique shape adds beauty, style, and a sweet, tangy flavour to cocktails, and fruit or vegetable salads. They make a great, edible garnish as well.

Power food
Star fruit is an excellent source of vitamin C.

Also indexed as: Star Fruit

Preparation, uses, and tips

Carambolas do not need to be peeled. Unripe carambolas can be prepared as a vegetable, usually in stir-fry dishes. Ripe carambolas can be puréed into sorbets or puddings, or added to salads. When sliced, their unique star shape adds a beautiful garnish to cakes, cocktails, fruit and vegetable trays, and entrées. Dried carambola makes a delicious snack.

Buying and storing tips

Carambola is available all the year round. Look for shiny yellow carambolas that are without bruises and are not too soft. Carambolas with a little green colour on the ridges may be ripened at home. Ripe carambola should be used as soon as possible. If it’s not going to be used immediately, tightly wrap ripe carambola in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator.

Varieties

So far is known, there is just one variety of carambola.

Nutrition Highlights

Carambola, 1 cup (137g) (cubes, raw)
Calories: 45
Protein: 0.74g
Carbohydrate: 10.7g
Total Fat: 0.48g
Fiber: 3.7g
*Excellent source of: Vitamin C (29mg)

*Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value, based upon United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the USDA Recommended Daily Value. Nutritional information and daily nutritional guidelines may vary in different countries. Please consult the appropriate organization in your country for specific nutritional values and the recommended daily guidelines.

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The information presented in the Food Guide is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or chemist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires August 2007.