the.com/carambola
a fruit so vain it became a shape before it became a snack
means A tropical tree fruit that, when sliced crosswise, forms a five-pointed star, giving it its common English name, the star fruit.
from Carambola came into English through Portuguese, which borrowed it from an Indian source — most likely Marathi karambal or a related Dravidian word (Tamil and Malayalam have similar forms). Portuguese traders carried both the fruit and its name out of South Asia, and the word traveled with the cargo into the wider world.
- star section
- slice it crosswise and a star falls out
- kidney risk
- its neurotoxin can poison failing kidneys
- two flavors
- comes sweet or sour, no in-between
- edible whole
- skin, seeds, all of it goes down
- name origin
- from a Sanskrit word for food appetizer
carambola fruit tree — tropical fruit native to southeast asia, now grown commercially in florida, brazil, and india with distinctive 5-pointed star cross-section
carambola billiards shot — three-cushion billiards discipline where cue ball must contact three cushions before hitting two balls, major competitive sport in spain and japan