Rambutan

(20 customer reviews)

£1.49

A red shell covered in soft hairs, peeled back to reveal translucent grape-like flesh around a single seed. The flavour is lychee turned a half-step softer — sweeter, jucier, gentler on the rose perfume. If lychee is a soprano, rambutan is the alto.

SKU: FP-FRT-rambutan Category: Tag:

About

Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) is the hairy cousin of the lychee, native to the Malay archipelago and grown across Southeast Asia. The shell is bright red or red-yellow with soft, flexible hairs (the name comes from the Malay rambut, meaning hair) — visually striking, completely harmless to handle.

Flavour & texture

Inside, the translucent white flesh is firmer and juicier than a lychee, with a softer floral perfume and a cleaner sweetness. The single central seed isn’t eaten. Compared to lychee, rambutan eats slightly less rose-forward and slightly more like a tropical white grape.

How to enjoy

Pinch the shell at the seam with a thumbnail or twist gently — the rind splits to release the flesh in one piece. Eat at room temperature or chilled, straight or in a fruit salad with lime. Like all Sapindaceae, the season is short and the freshness window is even shorter.

Quantity:

Each, 0.5KG Box, 1KG Box