My Rambutan Experience
On June the 27th, 2010, I went to Bankerohan Public Market. My main goal of going was to get a rose. The next day would be me and my girlfriend's 16th monthsary, so I wanted to give her something special. When I had arrived to the market after a long walk, I thought it'd be nice to buy some fruit as well. I never really get to try fruit, since I restrict myself to a budget, but that day I counted as an exception.
I knew what kind of fruit I wanted to get, since I saw many of them being sold in many places. I suppose it was the fruit's season. So, my eyes scanned for the nicest looking box of rambutans. I walked to one box and asked for 1 kilo. I think, from what I remember, the rambutans were about 35 pesos per kilo.
When I got back to my dorm, I put a few rambutans in a bag full of water. I did this to try to get the ants off. Pretty much all of the rambutans I saw, at the market, had ants covering them. I guess it is normal. Anyway, even though I was glad the ants were gone, I later regretted soaking the fruits in water since it kind of made them soggy.
The Rambutan
The rambutans are round/oval in shape, about the size of a golf ball, red in color, and have things sprouting out of them that resembles hair. Some of the rambutans had dull spikes, rather than the 'hair'. The outside of the rambutans, red and covered in these hairs/spikes, were hard shells that cover the inner-fruit. The 'shell' (outside) of the rambutans aren't hard like a nut though, but just soft enough to squeeze or twist open.
The Inside of a Rambutan
The rambutan's fruit is white and fleshy in texture. The texture is similar to a peeled grape, but more chewy. The juice of the fruit is within the flesh, so it's almost as eating a juicy, very soft, gummy candy. Within its fleshy white fruit, there is a seed located in the middle. This seed, in size, shape, and color, looks much like an almond. I noticed, in some of the rambutans, the outer covering (skin) of the seed peeled off on the fruit. This 'seed skin' was like tiny thin strips of wood. I had no problem eating them with the fruit, at the times it peeled off.
The taste of a rambutan is hard to describe outside of the world of exotic fruits. The closest thing I can relate its taste to, in the world of common fruits, is a grape. There is a major difference though, because a grape is more tangy. Rambutan isn't tangy-sweet, but just a mildly sweet fruit. You'll have to try it yourself to know the taste. The ending result, as I have found, is a craving for more of the tasty fruit with the awesome texture.
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The best fruits can be found by looking for the ones with Ants on them. If the ants like the fruit, that means it is sweet, so always choose the ones with ants on them.
Thanks for the advice Bob
It sounds really good. It sounds like the ants really liked it also. Strange looking little fruit thought. Looks sort of like something that should be swimming in the ocean! Thanks for sharing.
Jawz,
This article is very amusing to me as my wife tried to smuggle rambutan and lansones(probably mis-spelt) into Canada, when she returned from Davao last September. The customs officer was more concerned with the ants that he shook out of my wife’s bag, than the fruit!
I’m a big fan of lansones, but grew up with a Chinese Amah(sort of a nanny) whom gave me lichee(rambutan) almost every day, because it is considered “lucky” in Chinese culture. I’ve eaten enough rambutan to last me a lifetime!
Mike
@Mike: I didn’t realize rambutan is lichee! It looks the same. I love rambutan=lichee, even canned ones.
Jawz. I just love the fruits there, the more exotic the better.
Alex
Hi Mike & Alex- I think lychee is one of the species of sapindaceae, the family that the rambutan is within too. Very closely related, but a tad different.
Lychee is kinda has scale like texture, while rambutan is hairy… its almost a hairless rambutan I guess one could say. LOL