Carambola is the fruit of the carambolo or carambolero tree.
In the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) eight meanings of the term carom are mentioned. The first of them refers to the fruit produced by the tree known as carambolero or carambolo .
This fruit, yellowish in color, is characterized by the ridges it presents. Due to its particular shape, when cut transversely, it looks like a star .
A tree native to the Asian continent
Before moving forward with the definition of carom, it is interesting to focus on its tree , which was described by the Swede Carlos Linnaeus in his famous work “Species Plantarum” of 1753 . The carambolero or carambolo is a perennial species that belongs to the family group of Oxalidaceae .
With the scientific name Averrhoa carambola , the carambolero is a phanerogamous plant (its reproductive organs can be seen as flowers), angiosperm (its carpels take the shape of a closed ovary, which contains the ovules) and dicotyledonous (its embryos have two cotyledons or first leaves). It exhibits alternate leaves and flowers with five sepals and five petals.
Native to India and Southeast Asia , the carambolero can measure up to five meters in height . The star fruit, as we already indicated, is its fruit: it grows in clusters and each one can reach a length of about 15 centimeters.
It is possible to consume star fruit in different ways.
Carambola characteristics
When ripe, star fruit is orange or yellow. Its skin is smooth and thin, while its meat is translucent and juicy.
Each star fruit contains between ten and twelve seeds . It is possible to differentiate between two varieties of the fruit: the smaller carambolas have a sour taste , while the larger ones are sweet .
Potassium, phosphorus y vitamins C y A son algunos de los minerals y nutrientes que pueden encontrarse en la carambola. Cabe destacar que este fruto es comestible y puede ingerirse cocido o crudo según las preferencias individuales.
Its culinary use
Star fruit can be eaten in multiple ways. Jams can be prepared with it, for example.
They are also used as an accompaniment to pickles, shrimp and fish. In some regions they undergo a drying process and are used as a condiment .
As for its juice , it is usually drunk very cold. There are countries where it is bottled and marketed this way.
The toxicity of star fruit
Because it contains oxalic acid and caramboxin , star fruit has a level of toxicity that can be harmful to those who suffer from different kidney pathologies. In these subjects, consumption of the fruit can cause nausea and vomiting to, in extreme cases, death.
In a situation of acute poisoning, treatment usually consists of hemodialysis . This therapy allows us to minimize the amount of toxic elements in the blood, replacing the kidney in this cleaning function.
The concept in billiards and hunting
In billiards , the carom is a throw that consists of ensuring that the hit ball touches two others . For the play to be valid, the ball in question must touch at least three cushions before hitting the second ball.
In a hunting party, meanwhile, carom means killing two game with the same shot . Do not confuse the carom with the doublet , which involves taking two successive shots to kill two pieces.
The carom as a coincidence or effect
In colloquial language , finally, a double result that is achieved with a single action and positive chance is called carom. In addition, a scam or entanglement that develops to confuse a person is called carom.
If a soccer player kicks and the ball bounces off two rivals before entering the opponent's goal, it can be said that the player scored by carom. The same can be said of a basketball player who tries to pass the ball to a teammate and, without intending to, ends up scoring.