Rambutan - Fruit

Rambutan is a medium-sized tropical tree which is native to Malaysia and other regions of tropical Southeast Asia and commonly grown throughout Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. It is similar to several other fruits including the lychee, longan, and mamoncillo.

The name 'rambutan' is derived from the Malay language word for rambut or "hair" referring to the hairy protuberances of the fruit.

It is an evergreen tree bearing small flowers.

The fruit flesh is translucent, whitish or very pale pink, with a sweet, mildly acidic flavor very reminiscent of grapes.

Budded trees may fruit after two to three years with optimum production occurring after 8 to 10 years. Trees grown from seed bear after five to six years.

A single light brown seed is found in the fruit, which is high in certain fats and oils, it is used in cooking and the manufacture of soap.

Rambutan roots, bark, and leaves have various uses in traditional medicine and in the production of dyes.

Rambutan fruit contains diverse nutrients but in modest amounts, with only manganese having moderate content.

Rambutan fruit flesh is sometimes stewed as dessert but mostly used fresh and the seed can be roasted and eaten.

Rambutan juice has a very pleasant sweet taste and can be used in various juice applications, smoothies, energy drinks, ice-creams, sorbets, jams and jellies, yogurts and many others. Exotic culinary preparations include rambutan soup, rambutan ice cream, rambutan with smoked meat, rambutan seafood salad, rambutan sauces made along with red curry paste and coconut cream, rambutan chutney and rambutan salsa combined with other tropical fruits and vegetables. Rambutan Puree is also prepared commercially.

The rambutan’s colorful rind displays antioxidant activity and the seeds contain equal proportions of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.

The pleasant fragrance of rambutan fruit is derived from numerous volatile organic compounds.

Nutrients and phytochemicals (Per 100 edible portion)
Energy	82kcal
Carbohydrates	20.87 g
Dietary fiber	0.9 g
Fat	0.21 g
Protein	0.65 g
Vitamins
Thiamine (B1)	0.013 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	0.022 mg
Niacin (B3)	1.352 mg
Vitamin (B6)	0.02 mg
Folate (B9)	8 μg
Vitamin C	4.9 mg
Trace metals
Calcium	22 mg
Iron	0.35 mg
Magnesium	7 mg
Manganese	0.343 mg
Phosphorus	9 mg
Potassium	42 mg
Sodium	11 mg
Zinc	0.08 mg

Post by Chaya Ranasinghe