Rambutan

What it is

The hairs are soft spines, and the skin beneath them turns red or yellow as the fruit ripens. Inside, the flesh is white or faintly pink and wet with juice. Green-skinned fruit with greenish-red spines are sour.

A shallow cut around the shell helps it open. The flesh is the part to eat; the shell and central seed are discarded.

Where it comes from

Rambutan comes from Malaysia and is grown across Southeast Asia. It travelled from Indonesia to the Philippines in 1912, and there are smaller plantings in India. Today, trees grow in Hawaiʻi too: the collection at Hilo includes Rongrien, Binjai and Gula Batu, three of its many named varieties.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Banjarmasin, Indonesia, asinan rambutan turns the peeled fruit into a cold, sweet and spicy snack. Red chillies, sugar and salt are boiled in water for the dressing. Squeezed kasturi citrus goes in with its peel, along with slices of chilli.

The fruit rests in the dressing overnight in the fridge, so the liquid soaks in, and it is served cold. Banjarmasin's asinan is now popular well beyond the city.

How it's grown

Rambutan grows on a spreading evergreen tree that can reach 15–25 m (50–80 ft). It suits warm, humid places with regular rain, good drainage and shelter from strong winds. Trees started by budding, joining a bud from a chosen tree to a young rootstock, can flower after 2½–3 years in the ground.

Harvesters cut off whole clusters. When picking individual fruits, they leave a short piece of stem attached so the skin does not tear.

When and where you'll find it

In Hawaiʻi, rambutan is usually in markets from October through March. On the US mainland, the Asian grocer Uwajimaya names it among its tropical fruits, next to jackfruit, longan and durian. Fresh fruit travels in 2.25 kg (5 lb) or 4.5 kg (10 lb) cartons, sometimes in small punnets.

In Southeast Asia, it is also sold in bunches still joined to the stem, so a purchase can look much like the cluster that came off the tree.