the.com/rambutan
the spiky red sea urchin that turns out to be sweet on the inside
means A small, sweet tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia, covered in a soft, hairy red rind that peels away to reveal translucent white flesh much like a lychee.
from From Malay rambutan, built on rambut meaning "hair" — a perfectly literal name for a fruit that looks like it grew a head of soft red spines. The -an ending turns it into something like "the hairy one," which is exactly what you're holding.
- name origin
- Malay rambut means hair, for its tendrils
- lychee cousin
- belongs to the same soapberry family
- hairy disguise
- spines are soft and bend, not sharp
- edible seed
- roasted seeds are eaten in some regions
- native range
- originally from Southeast Asian rainforests
for instance
rambutan from thailand — thailand produces 400,000+ tons annually, the world's largest exporter since the 1980s
rambutan from indonesia — native to southeast asia, indonesia and malaysia are major producers with distinct red-haired varieties