The balimbing

“Balimbing” is a slang word for a political turncoat, someone disloyal to his party, company or group. It describes government or party officials who switch affiliations when it is expedient. It refers to someone with many faces… Balimbing is also known in English as Star Fruit (Averrhoa carambola) because when it is sliced into cross sections, it looks like a five-point star. The Filipino name balimbing is derived from the Malay “belimbing” for the same fruit that thrives in this part of Asia, but may have originated in India.

Balimbing is a close relative of “kamias” (Averrhoa bilimbi), which is also confusingly known as belimbing in the Malay language. Doreen Fernandez described the fruit technically as having “five prominent longitudinal, angular lobes” and as you can see from the photos, it is a striking and memorable shape.  It has very thin skin, an incredible light green color when unripe that changes to yellow several days later. Fruit raised in the Philippines seem to be significantly smaller in size than those grown in Malaysia and Indonesia. Balimbing has a refreshing, crisp and juicy flesh that is best enjoyed chilled, in my opinion. Add it to fruit salads, fruit shakes or turn it into preserves.

This wasn’t a common fruit in my childhood, for the sole reason that we didn’t have a balimbing tree in our backyard; but friends would occasionally send some over, or we used to pick them straight off their trees. Today, I probably only purchase the fruit once or twice a year, when in season (May-June) and I have a hankering for something sour. I prefer it slightly unripe, with a little bit of rock salt. When I lived in Indonesia, the locals would slice this up along with pineapple, makopa and other fruits and mix it with shrimp and chili paste for a sweet, sour, salty and spicy mid-morning or afternoon snack called rujak.  Can you feel your salivary glands on overdrive? Balimbing is at the markets now, and for the next month or so.