Rambutan

The delightful little rambutan is a fruit which grows in bunches on tall, evergreen trees. Native to Malaysia and Thailand, the rambutan is widely grown in south east Asia and elsewhere with a warm tropical climate and rich soil. Commercially grown on lower growing cultivars for easy harvesting, they are ripened on the trees and picked as clusters still attached to the branch.

The golf ball sized fruit is interesting look at as well as eat. The skin varies from yellow through orange to red, with the short, soft spines (called spinterns) often a different colour. To get at the vitamin C containing flesh, you should not cut straight through the fruit with a knife. Rather, carefully tear or cut skin-deep around the middle of the fruit, and lift off the top skin shell which should come away easily. Hold the skin on the bottom half of the fruit and enjoy the juicy, sweet flesh. It's best to nibble the fruit taking care not to bite the seed or the papery seed covering. The flesh is white or pale pink, and juicy, not dissimilar to the lychee, to which it is related.