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| Illustration |
Fruits contain their own particular prime tastes as their natural identities, which comprise sweet, bitter, sour, and salty. Beyond sweet and bitter, sour is a taste that is commonly found in many types of fruits. The degree of the sourness contained in every fruit depends on how much the acid substance contained in it. For the most part, the acid substance will extensively decreases and evaporates as the fruit’s ripened. Quite the opposite, there are some types of fruits that have extremely sour taste either while they are still unripe or after they are ripened. Based on the life experience and the information I excavated from a variety of sources, I’ve come to the conclusion that the acidic fruits below are the most acidic of many edible acidic fruits in the world:
1. Lime (Citrus aurantifolia)
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| Limes |
There is almost no one unfamiliar with the form and the use of this one. This spherical green (unripe) or yellow (ripe) fruit has a diameter of 3 to 5 cm and a segmented yellowish green flesh with lots of scented water. Most limes are unquestionably acidic in nature due to the high concentration of citric acid. The citric acid level is 7 to 8% of the weight of the fruit flesh and the extract is approximately 41% of the weight of the ripe fruit. On account of the high acid content, besides for cooking lime is often used to preserve many kinds of foods as well as clean dirt and rust on many kinds of materials.
2. Lemon (Citrus limon)
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| Lemons |
Limes and lemons belong to the Rutaceae family. Lemons are oval in form and have a distinctive yellowish texturized peel with a diameter of around 5 to 8 cm and about 50 to 80 grams in weight, obviously bigger than limes. Just like limes, lemons contain segmented flesh which is rich of citric acid and other sour flavoring particles. The content of citric acid contained in the lemon juice is approximately 5%. Besides effective in exterminating bad-breath-causing bacteria by changing the mouth pH level, lemon’s citric acid is also useful for removing some stains sticking on minerals.
3. Asam Paya (Eleiodoxa conferta)
Asam paya is an exotic plant that grows wild in the forest of Borneo. The outer appearance of the fruit is similar to the look of a salak fruit but smaller, it is about 3 to 5 cm in diameter. Its sturdy skin is scaly and fairly yellow when still young and turns brown when ripened. This typical fruit of Dayak has very sour taste that it is rarely consumed in a straight line. Borneo’s people are used to enjoying this fruit after processed into a salad or sweets. Above and beyond their very acidic taste, asam paya fruits are said to be useful to maintain immunity and able to cope with thrush because of their anti-oxidant compound.
4. Bilimbi (Averrhoa bilimbi)
Bilimbi fruits are tiny starfruits with the length of about 4 to 7 cm. They are colored green when still young and turn yellow as they’re ripened. The oxalic acid level contained in bilimbi fruits is high enough to make many people don’t want to consume them in the form of fresh fruits. Due to the acidity and the natural fact that they are easy to decay, bilimbi fruits are often made into dried fruits or sweets to make them last longer before being consumed. What’s more, as a result of the high level of acidity, the research proves that bilimbi fruits and leaves can create electrical energy, an average of 10 bilimbi fruits is capable of creating electrical voltage up to 2.5 volts. In addition, bilimbi fruits is commonly used to clean glass, ceramics, and metals.
5. Batoko Plum/Lovi-lovi (Flacourtia inermis)
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| Batoko plum fruits |
Batoko plum fruits are spherical with a diameter of 2 to 3 cm and contain just about 4 to 6 small seeds. The fruits are green and yellowish while still unripe then turn red or dark red when ripe. Either the unripe or the ripened fruits are so sour that bats and birds are barely attracted to eat them. Perhaps this is one aspect that slows batoko plums spread rate, making the plant not easy to find at the moment. Batoko plums should be processed into juice or sweets at the outset in order to reduce the sour taste.
6. Tamarind (Tamarindus indica)
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| Tamarind fruits |
Tamarind fruits are brown and bean-like bulging pods. The young pods consist of whitish seeds and green acidic fleshy pulps. The seeds turn brown and the pulps become reddish-brown and sticky as they ripen. The research in the "Journal of Nutrition Malaysia" noted that tamarind flesh consists of 8 to 14% tartaric acid, 30 to 40% sugar, plus small amounts of citric acid and potassium bitartrate. Total acid content in the tamarind pulp ranges between 8 to 16%, while other acids in total only about 2 to 3% of the weight of the pulp. It’s not surprising that tamarind fruits are so sour that they are best recognized as a souring agent in cooking flavoring. Soaking or boiling the fruits is a way which may reduce the sourness.
7. Malay gooseberry (Phyllanthus acidus)
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| Malay gooseberries |
Malay gooseberries or star gooseberries are little flat-round-shaped fruits consist of pale plus juicy flesh with slightly sweet and very sour taste. They are green while still young and turn yellowish when they are ripened. Due to the high levels of fiber and the acidity, they are commonly used as laxatives. Malay gooseberries can be eaten straight away or made sweets, juice, jam, or flavoring for cooking. Soaking the fruits in salt water may considerably reduce the acidity.
That is a range of fruits whose acid containment level is the highest among the others. There are probably other more acidic fruits beyond the fruits stated above. Yet this far, those are the sourest ones I have ever found.
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