FWNAB: Rambutan

Looking almost like sea creatures!

I never heard of Rambutan before in my life. According to its very long and detailed page on Wikipedia, it is the produce of a tree of the same name which naturally grows in Southeast Asia.
It is a stoned tropical fruit and according to popular tradition its name means ‘hairy’.

At first sight I thought it was some sort of sea urchin, and it certainly attracts attention with its colourful look!
It is not prickly, as its shell is mostly made of soft spikes.

Rambutan unwrapped.

The variety we bought came from Thailand, where apparently it is so popular that there is even a dedicated fair every August.

Once opened, it seemed very similar to its cousin, the lychee. It tastes very sweet and light and we liked it.
After doing some research on the internet, I realised we were not supposed to cut the seed (oops!) so I guess we will do it right next time!

This fruit seems to be very popular in the preparation of desserts, such as tropical fruits cheesecakes and gelato, as well as savoury starters.