Carambola, also known as starfruit, is the fruit of Averrhoa carambola, a species of tree native to the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The fruit is a popular food throughout Southeast Asia, the South Pacific and parts of East Asia. The tree is also cultivated throughout non-indigenous tropical areas, such as in Costa Rica, Peru, Colombia, Jamaica, Trinidad, Ecuador, Guyana, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Haiti, and Brazil, and, in the United States, in south Florida and Hawaii.[1]
The fruit has ridges running down its sides (usually five); in cross-section, it resembles a star, hence its name. The number of ridges can vary from three to six.
The carambola has been cultivated in parts of Asia for hundreds of years. Scientists believe that it may have originated in Sri Lanka or Moluccas, Indonesia.
Due to concerns over pests and pathogens, however, whole starfruits cannot yet be imported to the US from Malaysia under current Food and Drug Administration regulations. In the United States, starfruits are grown in tropical and semitropical areas, including Florida, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii.
