Rambutan

Nephelium Lappaceum

Rambutan is native to Indonesia and Malaysia and spread to Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Rambutan is a Malay word meaning “hairy” which describes the fruit’s skin with pliable spines that look like hairs.
The fruit of the rambutan is round or oval in shape and the outer covering or the leathery skin is red which is the predominant color but it also can be yellow or lime green in color. When you open the skin, the flesh inside is translucent just like the lychee or lanzones which incidentally are in the same family. The taste of rambutan is sweet with a certain tartness just like grapes. Each fruit has a single seed inside which can be cooked and eaten.

There are also health benefits from eating this wonderful and exotic fruit. It has dietary fibers of course plus Vitamins A, C and B vitamins. There are also minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium and more.