Pinoy Food & Other Cuisine :: Food PhotoBlog and Events |

Mid-March marks the start of summer as well as the season for star apples or kaymito. This fruit can be found in most warm, tropical climates; in the Philippines, you can find star apples growing around the southern Tagalog region and being sold by roadside vendors for 25 pesos a kilo (around 3 or 4 star apples). You’ll know a star apple is ripe when its skin has a dark purple, eggplant-like hue; it turns green when the fruit softens and becomes overripe. Be careful not to eat a star apple while it’s still hilaw; it will taste strange and have the weird consistency of latex.

Ripe star apples are delicious on their own; leave them in the fridge for about an hour then slice it in half, scooping the flesh with a spoon. This, I think, is the best way to enjoy star apples on a hot summer afternoon. Since star apples also have low acidity, you can also enhance the fruit’s flavor by adding a little calamansi juice on it. I bought star apple for 25 pesos a kilo from the vendors outside the UP Shopping Center.