Rambutan

The fruit has leathery reddish skin covered with fleshy pliable spines and hence the name ‘rambutan’ derived from the Malay word ‘rambut’, which means hairs. The fruit flesh is whitish with a sweet and mildly acidic flavor similar to grapes.

The peeled fruits can be cooked and eaten and then the nutty seed.

It is a widely cultivated garden fruit tree and grown commercially in small orchards. It is one of the best known fruits of Southeast Asia.

An average tree may produce 5,000 to 6,000 or more fruits. It is also used in making jams, jellies or canned.