Star Apple
Home > Jamaican Recipes > Star Apple
Star Apple
The star apple is a delicious, typically Jamaican, fruit. The fruit is native to the Caribbean and Central American region and thrives in Jamaica. The star apple is commonly known as being a "mean fruit" as it does not fall from the tree, even when ripe. In order to gather star apples it is necessary to cut the stems from the tree.
The star apple gets its name from the distinctive "star" shaped pattern of the flesh which is visible once the fruit is cut in half. The uncut fruit is round and approximately the size of a baseball, the thick skin is either green or purple. The skin is not edible, in order to eat a star fruit it is necessary to cut the fruit open, revealing the star shape in the flesh inside. The flesh has a jellylike texture and contains a thick white juice which has the look and taste of sweet milk. Star fruits are usually eaten with a spoon, although care must be taken to avoid the hard seeds which are not edible (there are usually about 5 or 6 of these). Care also needs to be taken not to spill the flesh on your clothes as it has a tendency to stain.
The botanical name for star fruit is Chrysophyllum cainitio but it is also known as "pomme du lait" (milk apple), milk fruit, caimito and abiaba.
© 2014 Jamaica Travel and Culture .com