What's That Fruit and How Do I Eat It? (First Installment)

Bangkok streets have so many distractions (snack vendors, motorbikes, ladyboys) that it's pretty hard for any one item to capture my full attention. But every time I walked by a fruit stand full of these Seussical balls, I could not stop thinking about them. What were they? If you open them, will you find Who-ville?


I brought a bag (30 baht/$1 for a kilo) to my office, and my coworkers were kind enough to help me eat them and answer a few pressing questions.

What's that fruit?
That fruit is rambutan! Similar to lychee, it has a firm, pearly fruit inside, which tastes somewhere between a skinless grape and a pineapple gummy bear. Rambut means hairy in Malaysia, where the fruit originated.



How do I eat it?
You can slice the shell with a knife if you're classy. If you are sneaking a snack at work, you can push your thumbnail into the middle of the shell, then pull the two halves apart. My coworker Khun Pam prefers sticking her fingernail in a little, and then squeezing the middle.


When I tried it, juice squirted all over a report I was supposed to be reading. But the peeling method is easy.

There is a little seed inside, which you eat around.




That's a lot of work for a couple square inches of fruit, is it worth it?
Yes, rambutan is delicious! Plus, opening them makes reading reports more enjoyable.

Glamor shot: