into a mixture containing milk or cream,
bromelain will break down the casein proteins
and produce bitter-tasting protein fragments.
Again, precooking the pineapple will prevent
this.
Star Fruit Star fruit or carambola come from
the small Southeast Asian tree Aver-rhoa
carambola, a member of the wood sorrel
(Oxalis) family. These medium-sized,
yellowish fruits are notable for their starlike
cross section, a decorative touch in salads and
garnishes, for an aroma with notes of Concord
grapes and quince, and for the presence of
oxalic acid, mainly in the five ridges. When
unripe and especially rich in oxalic acid, star
fruit are sourly reminiscent of similarly
endowed sorrel (p. 411) and are used to clean
and polish metal! Star fruit are colored by
carotenoid pigments, including beta-carotene.
A relative, the bilimbi, is too tart to eat fresh
and in the tropics is made into preserves and