In the past, starfruit was a wild plant that grew along the banks of ditches and canals, and children who wanted to eat it could climb up and pick it freely, and no one would sell it. But today, starfruit is a favorite specialty of the Western region, sold everywhere from street vendors to tourist areas in An Giang, Can Tho,...
Canarium fruit is also processed into many dishes to sell to the North, serving the needs of diners.
Canarium fruit is processed into delicious snacks. Photo: Quang Thien/Ngo Tuyet Phuong/Nu Tran
In the West today, there are two popular varieties of star fruit, including native star fruit and Thai star fruit.
In the past, the starfruit tree was planted to build banks and protect the soil during flood season, and later became a fruit tree to earn extra income. The starfruit tree is drought-resistant, has few pests and diseases, does not need much fertilizer, and is inexpensive. People sometimes stick branches into the ground and the tree grows on its own.
The indigenous Canarium oleracea of the Western region is a woody plant 10-25m tall, with dense branches, and white flowers blooming around March-April. The flood season is also the time when Canarium oleracea is at its most abundant, that is, from July to September of the lunar calendar.
The star apple branch is laden with fruit. Photo: Nguyen Tan Dat
The star fruit is oval, has smooth skin, about 3-4cm long, turns dark green when old, has a sour and astringent taste, when ripe it is light yellow, sour taste, light aroma.
Mr. Nguyen Minh Nhan (Chau Doc, An Giang ), who specializes in selling fresh star fruit and products made from this fruit, said that nowadays, Thai star fruit is more popular because the fruit is large, has good yield, is less sour, can be harvested early and produces fruit all year round.
To harvest star fruit, people use many methods such as rowing boats to pick, using cages, rowing ladders, using hooks to pick the fruit, and rowing up to pick large, old trees.
Photo: MangoVid
"The price of Thai star fruit fluctuates depending on the season. When it's in season, it's 15,000-20,000 VND/kg, when it's rarer, it's 30,000-35,000 VND/kg. In recent years, star fruit has been popular.
In addition to fresh star fruit, I also sell pickled star fruit, candied star fruit, etc. Recently, to serve customers' needs, I have added pre-smashed or pre-slitted star fruit, de-soured and packaged, and sent to customers to pickle according to their preferences," said Mr. Nhan.
The smashed carambola dish must be done skillfully. The carambola should not be smashed too much to keep its characteristic green color. When squeezed dry, it still retains its flavor and is crunchy to eat.
Currently, Mr. Nhan mainly sells Thai star fruit. Star fruit is kept cold when transported long distances to prevent fermentation. Photo: Nguyen Minh Nhan
According to Mr. Nhan, to reduce the sour and astringent taste of star fruit, many steps are needed. The star fruit must be washed, crushed, soaked in salt for 15-20 minutes, then squeezed and rinsed 2-3 times with water. When biting into the fruit and seeing that it is no longer astringent, squeeze it to drain the water.
For those who like sour food, crushed star fruit mixed with salt, chili, sugar, and a little fish sauce is delicious.
Canarium fruit mixed with salt and chili is sour and sweet, has its own unique flavor, different from mango and green plum. Photo: Nguyen Minh Nhan
"For pickled and candied star fruit, it will take more time. We choose large star fruit, score around it, then soak it in diluted salt water for 6-8 hours, squeeze it gently to soften it and reduce the sourness but not break the flesh.
The selling price of this type is from 55,000-60,000 VND/kg," Mr. Nhan shared.
Candied and sugar-soaked star apples require many steps to prepare. Photo: Nguyen Minh Nhan
Star fruit is also processed by businesses into many specialties such as star fruit jam, star fruit wine... increasing the price to tens or hundreds of thousands of dong, depending on the type.
In the Western provinces, there are currently many specialties made from star fruit that are recognized as provincial OCOP products such as Hoa Kieu star fruit wine, Nguyen Trung star fruit, and Thien Loc crushed star fruit. Unlike candied star fruit, star fruit with salt has a sour, salty, sweet taste, and is chewy and fragrant.
From a wild fruit, star apple is processed into delicious products, attracting tourists and bringing economic benefits to people in the West.
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/qua-mien-tay-moc-hoang-vi-chua-chat-nay-thanh-dac-san-hut-khach-a425399.html
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