Rambutan

Description

Rambutan
Rambutan are the names of these little hairy fruits in Sri Lanka, which are sold all over the road in June and July during peak season.
The evergreen rambutan tree belongs to the soap tree family and is related to the lychee tree. The name comes from the Malay. “Rambut” means hair and these fruits are really hairy 🙂 The origin of this fruit is suspected in the Malian Archipelago.

Today the fruits are spread all over Southeast Asia. But also in Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Ecuador and Vietnam, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, increasingly also in parts of Australia and Hawaii. The largest producer, however, is Thailand. (Source: Wikipedia)

Origin and cultivation
In Sri Lanka there are still the original wild varieties, the fruits of which are smaller and more acidic. The core is difficult to remove from the pulp and the pulp is thinner. Some varieties are yellow or orange even when ripe.

The place “Malwane” in Sri Lanka has become known for the breeding of a rambutan variety that produces large fruits. The sweet and thick flesh easily separates from the smaller core.

We also offer the popular variety Malwane. On request, we also try to get wild fruit for you.

The fruits ripen about 15 to 18 weeks after flowering. They hang on panicles with ten to twenty fruits each. The color is pink to bright red. The leathery shell is densely covered with greenish-yellow bristles, which also turn red when ripe and later black. There are trees that, in their prime, bear up to 6,000 fruits a season. This can make up to 70kg.

Taste and ripeness
The fruits are about 5 centimeters tall and are rounded-oval. The sweet and full-bodied taste is exotic, aromatic and a real refreshment. The almond-like seed sticks to the milky-white and jelly-like pulp.

Transport and durability
The fruits dry out very quickly and should be consumed immediately. When overripe, an alcoholic taste quickly develops.