Current culinary trends promote healthy lifestyles with a high consumption of fruit and vegetables. This has resulted in a rising interest in exotic products, such as the carambola; an orange-like star-shaped tropical fruit. In continental Europe, this fruit is only grown in the Spanish province of Malaga.
According to Iñaki Hormaza, researcher and head of the Subtropical Fruit Production Department at the research institute IHSM La Mayora CSIC-UMA, the carambola is a tropical fruit that is normally imported from Asia and America into Spain. The fruit, however, has a short shelf life and is therefore harvested green to allow it to arrive in good condition in Spain.
According to Hormaza, the fact that the carambola is harvested green is the main problem with the import of this fruit into Spain. The fruit is then not fully ripe and does not have the flavor it could have had if it had been allowed to ripen.
"We are fortunate to be the only place in continental Europe where carambolas can be grown, and where they are commercially available," says Hormaza. Thanks to that fact, he explained, the fruit can be harvested "at the optimum point of ripeness." The fruit is therefore perfectly suitable for nearby markets and local consumption.
Hormaza explained that the carambola was initially introduced in Europe "mostly because of its appearance." When the fruit is cut into slices, it has a star shape; therefore, the carambola is also called "star fruit," and was also used as decoration for dishes. However, when you taste the carambola at the optimum point of ripeness, it also turns out to be delicious. This makes the fruit suitable to be consumed as a dessert.
The IHSM La Mayora CSIC-UMA has a collection of "fifteen carambola varieties from different places in the world" and it is working to assess the fruit's performance and its growing conditions on the Malaga coast. There is a subtropical climate in this area. The temperatures are mild and there are no frosts, which is favorable for the crop's cultivation.
"Of these fifteen varieties, we perceive two or three as the most interesting, although they all have their own advantages because of their different tastes and structures," said Hormaza. He pointed to the importance of diversifying the production, so that one and the same growing company can offer different varieties.
The cultivation of different carambola varieties makes it possible to have a supply of this fruit for more months. Currently, on the coast of the Axarquía, in Malaga, "there is production from October with the earlier varieties and the season continues until March." Consequently, the product's short season is extended.
Hormaza also said that consumers often find "green or yellow-green" carambola on the market. This is because "that is the state in which the fruit was picked in the country of origin; it is not properly ripe." The fruit may still be nice to decorate dishes with, but "the taste will be rather poor."
"It took some effort to introduce the carambola, because it is not such a well-known product, but we are seeing more and more consumer interest in trying exotic fruits," stated the researcher. And in the framework of this emerging trend, what could be better than "trying fruit grown locally, in Europe?" concluded Hormaza.
Source: EFE
