Exotic fruit rambutan
This small, hairy fruit is native to Malaysia and Indonesia, but is popular worldwide. It is now grown not only in these countries, but also in India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Australia, and Hawaii.
In most cases, people become acquainted with this fruit when they travel to hot countries and learn the nuances traditional cuisine these countries.
The name "rambutan" comes from the Malaysian word "rambut," meaning "hair." The fruit grows on a tree that can reach 12 meters in height. The fruits can be round or oval and come in a variety of colors—yellow-green, pink, or red. They range from 2.5 to 5 cm in length.
Rambutan is harvested twice a year, in June-August and December-January. The fruit's outer skin is somewhat corrugated, with numerous hair-like spines. It resembles a lychee, but is much smaller.
The soft, juicy, milky-white flesh of the rambutan fruit is translucent like a grape and slightly more tart than a lychee or Chinese gooseberry.
Nutritional value of rambutan
Rambutan is a low-calorie fruit. The average fruit contains no more than 59 calories. Rambutan is very low in fat, but high in protein.
This small fruit contains a large amount of vitamin C. 100 g of the fruit contains 40% of the daily value of vitamin C, so it is useful to include it in your daily diet whenever possible.
Rambutan is also rich in vitamin B3, iron, phosphorus, calcium and fiber.
Uses of rambutan
The fruits of this exotic tree are most often eaten fresh, as they don't keep very well—from a couple of days to a week. To extend the fruit's shelf life, place it in a perforated bag and refrigerate that.
To open the fruit, you need to cut it lengthwise with a knife, after which it will be quite easy to remove the fleshy part.
Rambutan is used to make tropical fruit salads and cocktails, desserts, yogurts, jams, jellies, chutneys, syrups and soups.
In most recipes, rambutan can be safely replaced with lychee, especially if it is a stir-fry or some other spicy dish.
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