This is one of my favorite fruits in the world and has been since I first tasted them. We actually discovered these in Vietnam on our honeymoon, recounted here. You can find them occasionally at Asian markets in the DC area. Though they are originally from Southeast Asia, they are grown in Central America as well now.
The rambutan's appearance is its most distinguishing characteristic - a small reddish-green ball with gangly red tentacles sprouting off in all directions. Crack it open - either by squeezing the shell with your fingers, or slicing it with a knife, and you find the clearish-white fruit, with the texture of a very crunchy grape. The flavor, at its best, is like a very fruity, crisp melon - it's not overpoweringly sweet like many tropical fruits. When overripe, they get very juicy and sticky, with an unpleasant moldy taste. Like many tropical fruits, the window of ripeness is very small, and too frequently during our stay in Manila, I would buy kilos at the market, only to have to throw out the last couple packages because we didn't consume them within two or three days.
After many tries, I was very happy when Nicky finally developed a taste for these, after discovering that if you bite into it, rather than just licking the outside, it tastes much better. After this revelation, he would bite into the top and then suck out the juice for mintues at a time.
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