Rambutan fruit

Introduction:

Recently, I found a love for Thai cuisine, with rambutan fruit in English catching my eye in Southeast Asia. Its Muppet-like appearance, in red or yellow types (I've only had red), hides a delightful taste. The name "rambutan" originates from the Malay word "rambut," meaning "hairs." In San Francisco's Chinatown, I saw many of these fruits.

 This tree is evergreen, reaching 15–24 meters in height. It has pinnate leaves with 3 to 11 leaflets, each measuring 5–15 cm in width. The flowers are discoidal, apetalous, and borne in 15–30 cm panicles. Rambutan trees can be male or female, with males producing staminate flowers, and females having mainly functional female or hermaphrodite blooms, with a small proportion of male blossoms among the female flowers. 

Flavor

Rambutans are best eaten fresh for their sweet flavor. Enjoy them raw by cutting open the rind or peeling it by hand to eat the meat. The seed, edible after roasting, can also be consumed. Use sliced rambutan in fruit salads, with sorbet or ice cream, or in soups and curries for added sweetness.

Rambutan fruits offer versatile cooking options like making jams, jellies, or syrups and can be canned for storage, besides being enjoyed fresh. They pair well with coconut, pineapple, kiwi, and various flavors like ginger and lemongrass, along with meats like chicken and fish. Store rambutans in the refrigerator wrapped with a moist paper towel in a vented bag for 2-3 days, but for the best quality and flavor, it's recommended to consume them promptly to prevent drying out. 

The fruit is a round to oval single-seeded drupe, 3–6 cm (rarely to 8 cm) long and 3–4 cm broad, borne in a loose pendant cluster of 10–20 together. The leathery skin, typically reddish but occasionally orange or yellow, is adorned with fleshy, pliable spines known as "spinterns." These spines aid in the fruit's transpiration, potentially impacting its quality.

The aril, or fruit flesh, is translucent with a sweet, slightly acidic taste similar to grape juice. The solitary seed, 1-3 cm in size, is glossy brown and has a white basal scar. It contains equal amounts of unsaturated and saturated fats, making it suitable for cooking, although it has a bitter taste and narcotic qualities. 

Seasons

Rambutans are seasonal fruits available depending on the region. In tropical Southeast Asia, trees fruit twice yearly, but in Central America, they only fruit once. In the Northern Territory, they bear fruit from October to mid-January. 

 Cultivation

Rabutans thrive in warm tropical climates around 22–30 °C and are sensitive to temperatures below 10 °C. They are commercially grown within 12–15° of the equator, flourishing up to 500 m (1,600 ft.) above sea level on hilly terrain with good drainage.

Propagation methods include grafting, air-layering, and budding. Budded trees may fruit in 2-3 years, with optimal production in 8-10 years, while seed-grown trees bear fruit in 5-6 years. Some cultivars have attached arils to the seeds, but sought-after "freestone" varieties exist. These seeds, rich in fats like oleic and arachidic acids, find uses in industry, cooking, and soap making.

Rambutan roots, bark, and leaves serve in traditional medicine and dye production. In some areas, rambutan trees may yield fruit twice a year: once in late fall and early winter, and a shorter season in late spring and early summer. Costa Rica has a single fruit season starting with the rainy season in April, leading to ripe fruit in August and September. Fruit ripens on trees and is harvested over 4-7 weeks.

They bruise easily with a short shelf life. Each tree may yield 5,000–6,000 or more fruit (60–70 kg or 130–155 lbs.). Yields vary from 1.2 to 20 tonnes per hectare (0.5 to 8 tons per acre), depending on orchard maturity. In Hawaii, 24 of 38 hectares (60 of 95 acres) yielded 120 tonnes of fruit in 1997. Improved orchard management, including pollination and high-yield cultivars, can increase yields. Most marketable cultivars are hermaphroditic, with few manly trees present due to the dominance of hermaphroditic duplicates with mostly womanish flowers.

Manly trees, with few flowers producing pollen, are uncommon. Manly flowers have unheroic nectarines and 5-7 stamens in 3,000 greenish-undyed flowers, while each hermaphroditic panicle contains about 500 greenish-unheroic flowers, each with six anthers and one ovule. Flowers, open for a day, may last longer if pollinators are absent. 

Nutritional Value and Facts

Rambutans, scientifically Nephelium lappaceum, are exotic fruits from evergreen trees in the Sapindaceae family. These tropical fruits, related to lychees, originate from Southeast Asia and are typically eaten fresh. With 200+ varieties differing in color and taste, the name "Rambutan" comes from the Malaysian word for "hair," reflecting the fruit's hairy appearance.

 Rambutan cultivation is thriving globally due to its versatile uses for fresh consumption, desserts, and flavoring beverages. The prolific trees yield hundreds of fruits each season, requiring careful hand harvesting in clusters to prevent damage.

Despite being easily bruised and having a short shelf life, rambutans are prized for their ornamental value, boasting a striking contrast between the colorful fruits and dark green leaves.  Rambutans provide copper for bones and nerves, vitamin C for immunity and anti-inflammatory benefits, and fiber for digestion.

They also offer iron, phosphorus, manganese, and magnesium in smaller quantities.  Rambutan fruit, with its high water content of 78%, primarily consists of 21% carbohydrates and 1% protein, with minimal fat. The canned fruit, compared to the raw fruit, is a source of manganese at 16% DV, offering 82 calories per 100-gram serving. Other micronutrients in the canned fruit are minimal. 

Uses

Rambutans are primarily consumed fresh whole due to the difficulty of separating the stone from the flesh. In Asia, they are highly favored. The fruit can also be found in tinned form, but the taste may diminish. Some varieties are stewed, and extracts from the plant parts have medicinal uses, like treating fever. Grilled rambutan seeds are edible but have a bitter and narcotic taste. Additionally, the wood is utilized in construction.

Culinary

The rambutan fruit can be enjoyed raw after peeling, eating the pulp, and discarding the seed. It is commonly used in desserts like sorbets and puddings, as well as in savory dishes and curries. The flavor, akin to lychee, complements tropical fruits well. 

FAQs

What Is rambutan a winter fruit?
What season does the Rambutan grow in?
Is rambutan asexual reproduction?
What is the best variety of rambutan?
Where is the best place to plant rambutan?
What is the best climate for rambutan?
What is rambutan rich in?

Internal Links

Passion fruit
blueberry fruit
Sea Buckthorn
Avocados Fruit