I went to visit Lalbagh area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bilimbi tree bears fruit in the backyard of one house. Towards the end of spring, there is an abundance of flowers and fruits that bloom.
The flesh is crisp and the juice is sour and extremely acidic and therefore not typically consumed as fresh fruit by itself. Fruit is often preserved and used as a popular flavouring/seasoning and is a key ingredient in many countries.
Bilimbi is an unconventional local fruit that is going to lose in Bangladesh. Some trees can be seen scattered. Bilimbi fruit tastes sour. Bilimbi juice (with a pH of about 4.47) is made into a cooling beverage. It can replace mango in making chutney. Additionally, the fruit can be preserved by pickling, which reduces its acidity. In the midday sun it acts like a tonic. Pickles are cooked and pickled in this country with fruits. Bilimbigas are medium sized. Evergreen. It looks a lot like cucumber tree. Bilimbi is like cucumber’s twin brother.
The fruit is very sour, about 5-6 cm in length and 2.5 cm in diameter. The fruit is quite long and the head is a bit thick. Not so much grooved as Kamranga. However, there are also five light grooves in Bilimbi. The color of the fruit is pale yellow. Fruits in bunches on tree trunks and branches.
A bilimbi holds great value in complementary medicine as evidenced by the substantial amount of research on it.
Averrhoa bilimbi (commonly known as bilimbi, cucumber tree, tree sorrel is a fruit-bearing tree of the genus Averrhoa, family Oxalidaeae.
