How to Eat Rambutan

Rambutan is a fruit native to Southeast Asia and is now grown in tropical climates worldwide. If you've never seen a rambutan, you might be unsure how to eat it. Once you learn how to enjoy this fruit, it becomes an easy and tasty treat.

Choose ripe rambutan. Rambutans start out green, but they turn red, orange, or yellow when ripe. The 'spiky hairs' on the fruit are green when freshly picked, but they later darken to black, and the fruit remains delicious for a few days after ripening.

Make a slit in the skin of the fruit. Place the rambutan firmly on a flat surface, holding it at both ends. Use a sharp knife to slice down the middle, as if halving the fruit. Make a light cut on the outer skin, which is similar to leather and has spiky hairs, but be careful not to cut into the fruit. Make a cut all around the fruit to extend the incision.

Peel the rambutan. Once the skin is slit, it will peel off easily. Pull one side of the skin away from the fleshy fruit, like opening a hinged lid. Inside, you’ll find the fruit’s flesh, which resembles a grape: oval-shaped, slightly opaque, and white or pale yellow in color.

Squeeze the flesh out.

Gently squeeze the remaining skin so the edible flesh falls into your palm.

Remove the seed. The seed in the center of the fruit is not edible raw. Carefully cut into the flesh without touching the seed, and pull it out. Some rambutan varieties, like the "Freestone" type, allow the seed to slip out easily, while others, such as the "Clingstone" variety, have seeds that are attached to the flesh. If you're eating a Clingstone rambutan, just leave the seed and discard it after eating the fruit.

Eat the rambutan. Once the seed is removed, simply pop the flesh into your mouth. If there is still a seed inside, pay attention to the thin, paper-like skin covering it. Bite into the fleshy part, avoiding the skin.

• Most rambutans are sweet and juicy, but some varieties may be tart or slightly dry.
• Rambutan seeds are generally bitter, though some may have a slight sweetness. While a few people eat raw rambutan seeds, they contain harmful chemicals. It’s not recommended to eat them, especially for young children and animals.

Consider roasting rambutan seeds. In some regions, rambutan seeds are roasted and eaten, much like other types of seeds. While roasted rambutan seeds are edible, they can be slightly bitter and mildly narcotic. Further research is needed before officially declaring rambutan seeds as safe to consume.

Make rambutan jam. Peel 500g of rambutan and cook it in water with two cloves until the flesh separates from the seed. Remove the thin skin around the seed and boil the seeds in some water until soft. Cook the fruit with the softened seeds and 1/2 cup (350g) of sugar. Simmer for 20 minutes or until it thickens into jam. Remove the cloves and transfer the jam to sterilized jars.

• For a quick dessert, you can stew the peeled fruit and boil it until soft.

Store unripe rambutan in the refrigerator. Rambutan stays fresh for up to 2 weeks, but it typically lasts only a few days after being purchased from a store. Place the whole unpeeled fruit in a perforated plastic bag and store it in the fridge to extend its shelf life.

Freeze rambutan for a special treat. Freeze unpeeled rambutan in a zip-lock bag. Peel the fruit and enjoy it immediately after removing it from the freezer as a sweet, candy-like snack.