I don’t know the exact English word for this fruit that we locally call balimbing. It is just simply called star fruit. It has a scientific name Averrhoa carambola I chanced upon it in one of the fruit stalls near the church so I bought a kilo which sells at P20 pesos. I haven’t tasted this fruit for decades, it is really not that popular. The taste is a little bland, not even sour or sweet but is is juicy. You have to dip it in a little salt before you eat it.
Did you know that this fruit is associated with politicians here in our country? Balimbing is also a slang word for a traitor or a turncoat. This is because the this has many sides. Politicians who change parties or loyalties based on who’s currently has authority are frequently called balimbing. And there are plenty of them here, almost all of them actually. They align themselves to who is in power at the moment disregarding the previous political party where they are affiliated. It is such a shame really since most politicians in power are corrupt and traditional politicians make false promises, buy votes just to win and perpetuate themselves in power. Oh yes, they are called balimbing.
You must be logged in to post a comment.