Weird World Fruit - The Rambutan

At first glance, the rambutan looks like something you would find on the set of a horror movie rather than on supermarket shelves. However, give the cryptic fruit a taste and find out that this is far from the truth.

Native to Malaysia, the rambutan is said to be one of the greatest delicacies of Southeast Asia, holding a similar taste to its relative. Beneath the furry, alien-like outer shell you will find transparent-whitish flesh with a similar taste to grapes, but sweeter.

What differentiates this peculiar fruit to its cousins, the lychee and longan, is the fruit’s distinctive green and red spikes that resemble hair. The name itself came from the Malay word for hair, “Rambutan”.

The rambutan tree is evergreen and can grow up to 20 metres tall making it a common feature in exotic gardens.

And not only is the fruit prized for its taste, the leaves and seeds of the plants have also been said to provide health benefits – the seeds found in the centre of a rambutan have been scientifically proven to promote skin health.

The rambutan is not only a great source of vitamins and minerals, but it also tastes great! Undoubtedly, the fruit’s health benefits and flavours have led it to become one of the most exported exotic fruits from Southeast Asia.

Image by © Tris_T7 [CC BY-SA 3.0]