How to Eat Rambutan

Rambutan is a fruit native to Southeast Asia and today grown in tropical climates around the world. If you’ve never seen a rambutan, you might be confused about how to eat it. Once you have learned how to eat rambutan, you will find it very simple and delicious.

Table of Contents

Eat rambutan

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Choose ripe rambutan. Rambutan is initially green, then turns red, orange or yellow when ripe. The hair-like “thorns” are green when the rambutan is freshly picked, but then turn black and the fruit remains delicious for at least a few days. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Make a line in the rind. Place the rambutan firmly on a flat surface and hold it at both ends. Place the sharp knife along the center of the fruit body like cutting in half. Cut lightly on the skin-like skin and many spines, but do not cut into the flesh. Cut in half around the fruit body to lengthen the cut. ^{[2] X Research Source}

You can also use your thumb to tear off the rind or even bite it in half. The spines are soft and harmless, but the pods are inedible and can be slightly bitter.

Split rambutan. The cut shell will come apart easily. Pulling one side of the shell away from the flesh is like opening a hinged lid. Inside is a fruit that looks like a grape: oval, slightly opaque and white or light yellow.

Squeeze until the flesh falls out. Squeeze the remaining peel so that the edible flesh falls into the palm of your hand.

Discard the seeds. The seed in the center of the fruit is inedible when alive. Cut into the flesh of the fruit so that it does not cut into the seeds and then pull the seeds out. Some varieties of rambutan (varieties “Freestone”) have seeds that slide off easily, while the seeds of other varieties (varieties “Clingstone”) stick to the flesh. ^{[3] X Research Source} If you eat rambutan like Clingstone, you just need to leave the seeds and spit them out when you’re done.

Eat rambutan. After removing the seeds, simply put the flesh in your mouth. If there are seeds, pay attention to the tough, paper-like coating on the outside. Eat the flesh around the fruit instead of avoiding biting into the membrane.

Most rambutans are sweet and succulent, but some varieties can be sour or slightly dry. ^{[4] X Research Sources}
Most rambutan seeds are bitter, but some seeds can be slightly sweet. Although there are a few people who eat rambutan seeds raw, the seeds actually contain many potentially harmful chemicals. ^{[5] X Research Source} It is not recommended to eat rambutan seeds, especially for young children and animals.

Use the rest of the rambutan

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Consider baking rambutan seeds. In some regions, rambutan seeds are roasted to be eaten, similar to when nuts are roasted. Although the roasted rambutan seeds are edible, they are slightly bitter and have mild anesthetic properties. ^{[6] X Source of Research} More research needs to be done before it is officially approved as safe to eat rambutan seeds. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Make rambutan jam. Peel 500g rambutan and boil in water with two cloves leaves until the pulp separates from the seeds. Peel off the film that surrounds the seeds and then put the seeds in a little water to boil until soft. Toss the flesh with the softened seeds and 1/2 cup (350 g) of sugar. Simmer 20 minutes or until jam. Remove the cloves and put the jam in a sterilized jar. ^{[8] X Research Sources Pijpers, Dick, Jac. G. Constant, and Kees Jansen. <i>The Complete Book of Fruit</i>. NY: Gallery Books, 1986.}

For a quick dessert, you can stew the peeled and boiled berries.

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Store uneaten rambutan in the refrigerator. Rambutan is only good for up to 2 weeks and usually just a few days after buying it in the store. Put the whole, unpeeled fruit in a plastic bag with holes and then store it in the refrigerator to extend its shelf life. ^{[9] X Research Source}

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Freeze rambutan to make special desserts. Freeze whole unpeeled rambutans in claw-lock bags. Peel it and eat it directly after taking it out of the freezer as a sweet candy-like snack. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Advice

If you display rambutan to invite guests, you should leave half of the fruit peel after cutting to make a beautiful base for guests.
After buying rambutan, you can store it in the refrigerator for 3-5 days and wrap it in plastic wrap to prevent moisture loss (or leave the rambutan outside if you live in a humid climate). ^{[11] X Research Source}

Warning

Be careful with maggots in rambutan. The sign of maggots is the brown, bumpy part near the fruit stem.

Steps

Eat rambutan

Use the rest of the rambutan

Advice

Warning

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