RAMBUTAN

Exotic fruit of Southeast Asia.
The rambutan, Nephelium
lappaceum, is a fruit
considered exotic to people
outside of its native range. To
people of Malaysia, Thailand,
the Phillippines, Vietnam,
Borneo, and other countries of
this region, the rambutan is a
relatively common fruit the
same way an apple is common
to many people in cooler
climates. This may change for
the rambutan over time as
availability and distribution
improve.
This web site aims to
familiarize the public with the
qualities that make the
rambutan such a wonderful,
delicious and nutritious fruit.
The word "rambut" in the fruit
name 'rambutan' is Malay for
'hairy,' and this refers to the
spiky rind. Indeed, without the
soft spines on the rind, the
rambutan would resemble the
lychee (or litchee) which is in
the same botanical family.
The structure internally is
quite similar, with a single
central inedible seed and
edible white flesh wrapped
around it but the skin is the
part that makes the rambutan
so distinctive in appearance.
Other members of the same
botanical family, the
Sapindaceae, include the
longan (Dimocarpus longan ),
the canepa or mamoncillo
(Melicoccus bijugatus ), the
pulasan (Nephelium mutabile)
, and guaraná (Paullinia
cupana).