Starfruits

The starfruit

Starfruit trees are very familiar to Vietnamese locals, for the fact that they have been attached with the country for a long time. The fruit is also a familiar image in the Vietnamese fairy tale that has entered the minds of old generations, with the legend "eating one fruit and paying one piece of gold".

Photo: vietblend.vn

Indeed, star fruit really brings gold benefits to this tropical country and its people. The fruit has a yellow or green shade, comes with 5 zones, or sometimes 6. If you slide the fruit in half, each slide will appear in the form of a star, which results in the fruit being called “star fruit”.

There are two types of star fruit: sweet and sour. Sweet star fruit trees are usually pale green in color and have relatively small fruit sizes. Meanwhile, sour star fruit has darker leaves, and when ripe, it has a dark yellow color.

How to eat

Star fruit can be exotic to some foreigners. To make it easy to understand, you can imagine the taste of starfruit as a combination of papaya, orange and grapefruit; others state that starfruit has the taste of pineapple combined with lemon. In general, it has a sweet and slightly sour taste and can be eaten immediately after slicing, but can also be added to other dishes and drinks. Just keep in mind to choose starfruit with a yellow color as it will be sweeter compared to the one in green.

Photo: dienmayxanh.com

Where are starfruits grown in Vietnam

Star fruit is a tropical and subtropical plant. It prefers the sunlight, but requires sufficient moisture. These types of trees are not picky in terms of soil, but the most suitable soil must be moist enough and well-drained. Star fruit trees are suitable for home gardens, or potted plants for decoration. It can also be placed in front of Vietnamese houses or coffee shop, restaurants for feng shui purposes. In Vietnam, star fruit is grown scatteredly in many provinces across the country, with the beneficial features of a fruit tree and also used as ornamental plants.

Photo: avi.org.vn

Benefits of starfruits

As a golden trophy fruit, starfruit is rich in nutrients, especially fiber and vitamin C. Nutritionists recommend eating fiber-rich foods like star fruit to aid digestion. In addition, it contains many healthy nutrients, yet owns very few calories. Therefore, starfruit is an ideal choice for those who want to lose weight. Not only that, this tropical fruit is rich in potassium, which plays an important role in maintaining cardiovascular health, regulating blood pressure for the body. Nevertheless, eating star fruit will supplement vitamin A for the body and would also support and enhance your eyesight.

Food made from star fruit

Photo:  hellobacai.com 

Star fruit is a popular snack of Vietnamese countryside people. You can cook many dishes with the sweet and sour, rich flavor of star fruit such as sour soup, broth for noodles or sweet dessert like jam, juice and Che. These are both delicious and nutritious dishes that bring so many health benefits to our body.