Rambutan

Rambutan is a medium-sized evergreen tree originating from the rainforests of western Malaysia and Singapore. The trees produce fruits that are round with leathery skin that’s covered in soft hairlike spines. The colors range from dark red to yellow.

The pulp is subacid to sweet and it contains a single seed. The seeds contain up to 40% fat, which is extracted and used for making soap. In the Philippines, people sometimes roast the seeds and eat them as a snack. The fruits are usually eaten out of hand and they are sold fresh or canned.

People use rambutan in jams, jellies, preserves, fruit salads, and savory dishes (in Southeast Asia). There are many cultivars of rambutan, such as red, yellow, orange, clingstone, and freestone. Although rambutan is mostly cultivated in Southeast Asia, the fruit is also gaining popularity in Central America.