Week Seven – Star Fruit

This week’s food first was intended to be horse, but recent developments have suggested that I may have already eaten that on a number of occasions.  This is about as topical as I will ever get.

Given that the “horsemeat in everything” scandal broke a number of weeks ago, I’m not even sure that it can be classed as topical.  For this, I apologise.  For unexpected horse in bolognaise, beef burgers, school dinners, and lots of other things, I’m sure an apology is currently with the supermarkets’ respective legal teams.

This week’s real food first is Star Fruit.  A fruit shaped like a star.  Imaginative, these fruit namers, aren’t they?

Before I sampled the starry-goodness, I got side-tracked by thoughts of other fruits that might be named after things they look like.  Here is my research – As you can see, the thoughts turned to internet searches, picture montages and taking photos of myself.  I waste a significant amount of my life being side-tracked.

And here are my findings…

It turns out that star fruit and oranges look somewhat uncannily like the things their names suggest.  Dragon fruit, kiwi fruit and ugli fruit do not.  There are probably other examples out there that fit in to one or other of these two categories.

I never said this was going to be a comprehensive analysis of the etymology of fruit names!

 

The star fruit has a waxy green outer skin and watery green flesh, with a handful of pips.  It emitted a slight smell of runner beans.

I wasn’t sure if I should eat the skin, so I did.  I reasoned that as far as gambles go, it wasn’t a particularly big one.

Over all, it tasted of nothing in particular…  A little bit like raw cooking apples, perhaps with a grape-like texture.  Not unpleasant, but not pleasant either.

As a result, I have awarded the star fruit a rating of: –

 

 Hindsight Section

I have just discovered that I was supposed to let the fruit ripen for a few days – It would then turn a yellow colour and become sweeter tasting.  It seems that it was fine to eat the skin, so I got that bit right.  Apparently, star fruit contains oxalic acid – which can be a right bugger if you have any of a variety of kidney conditions, potentially causing vomiting, hiccups, mental confusion and, in extreme cases, death.  Fortunately, my renal system is in good working order and my mental confusion preceded this week’s new food trial. 

 

Well, that’s Week Seven survived…  Although, I await the stomach cramps associated with eating unripe fruit.

In Week Eight I will ensure I do a bit more research before eating something mildly exotic.

Suggestions of anything you think I should eat on a postcard – Then, because you don’t know my address, stick them in the comments box (below) too.  Thanks!