Herb. No. 227 · Sapindaceae
Malay Archipelago origin; a wet-tropics stall fruit from Indonesia to Honduras plantations.
Native · Southeast Asia
Native Also grown
LegalGentleplant
Rambutan
Nephelium lappaceum
A hairy red soapberry of the Malay world — peel the soft spines, eat the glass aril, spit the seed.
Rambutan is a Malay relative of lychee. Traditional use is as ripe fresh fruit. Culinary ripe arils are the path. The ‘hairs’ are soft spines, not a cactus. The seed is bitter and not food. Canned in syrup is a backup, heavier than fresh. They brown after picking; eat soon.
Flavor
Lychee’s cousin: floral, a little acid, sometimes a faint strawberry. Fresh beats canned.
Parts used
Ripe aril
Helpful
- Easier to peel than it looks
- A true tropics stall fruit
Cautions
- The seed
- Browns fast
- Not a temperate tree