Bilimbi

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Bilimbi (lat. Averrhoa bilimbi) - a fruit plant from the Acid family, often called a cucumber tree. This culture is a relative of the well-known common sour.

Description

Bilimbi is an amazingly beautiful deciduous tree, the height of which can reach ten meters. The short trunks of these trees branch out into several branches directed upwards.

The length of complex bilimbi leaves can vary from thirty to sixty centimeters, while each leaf is formed by an odd number (from eleven to thirty-seven) oval-oblong leaves - such leaves are always directed downwards and are located opposite. Above, the leaves are always darker than below, and they are also covered with short hairs.

Bilimbi flowers smell very nice and are painted in purplish or yellowish-greenish tones. All of them form beautiful panicle inflorescences and grow either from old large branches or directly from the trunks.

After the bilimbi has faded, fleshy fruit-berries growing in clusters form on it, the color of which ranges from white to yellowish-greenish shades. The average weight of such fruits is from one hundred fifty to two hundred grams, and their length reaches seven to twelve centimeters. On their sides there are five longitudinal grooves elongated along the fruit - if you cut the fruit across, you get a kind of five-pointed star. And the bilimbi is called the cucumber tree for the simple reason that outwardly these fruits look like cucumbers.

The pulp of unripe fruits is green, very juicy and crunchy, however, as the fruits ripen, it softens noticeably, and its color becomes creamy or milky white. As for the taste of the pulp, it is usually sour and somewhat resembles a mixture of grapes, apples and plums, however, sometimes you come across fruits, the taste of which resembles a combination of plum with gooseberries. And inside each fruit you can find several disc-shaped seeds, the width of which reaches 6 mm.

Where grows

The birthplace of this culture is Malaysia. However, it is currently grown outside of its homeland: in Indonesia, Tanzania, Myanmar and India, as well as in Thailand, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. And at the end of the nineteenth century, it was introduced in the Antilles, in Northern Argentina, Brazil, Suriname, Colombia, as well as in a number of Central American countries, Ecuador, Guyana, Venezuela and Jamaica. Since this crop is incredibly thermophilic, it is grown exclusively in warm countries.

Application

Since bilimbi is a very sour fruit, it is practically not consumed fresh. But these fruits will be a great seasoning for beans, boiled rice, as well as various fish and meat dishes. By the way, unripe fruits are quite suitable for use as a seasoning. Ripe fruits are used to make excellent non-alcoholic drinks, and they are also added to marinades and the popular curry sauce. In addition, jelly and jam are made from bilimbi, just in order to cook them, you must first thoroughly soak the fruits in salted cold water - this will help rid them of excess acid.

Bilimbi acid is due to the presence of oxalic acid in these fruits, which endows this culture with a lot of useful properties: for example, bilimbi leaves are applied to the bites of poisonous animals and are widely used for skin rashes and rheumatism. And the high content of valuable trace elements and vitamins makes these fruits a real find for athletes and people whose work is associated with serious physical exertion. The fruits of bilimbi are also useful for the nervous, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems.

Contraindications

Since the fruits of bilimbi contain a lot of oxalic acid, their use should be abandoned by people suffering from urolithiasis or having kidney stones. A high content of organic acids can lead to exacerbation of gastrointestinal ulcers. And even with hyperacid gastritis, it is also undesirable to use bilimbi.