Fresh Rambutan Fruit Turn Up At Bangkok Market...

Photos, blog post by John Hoff

Rambutan fruit is one of many exotic things I've eaten in my life but yummy enough to be something I'll eat regularly, not just once or twice for bragging rights. But until this week, I'd only eaten rambutan from a can...


Somewhere in the very crowded back of my mind, I was aware Jeff Skrenes was on a quest to find FRESH rambutan and this odd little quest had lasted quite a while; more than a year by my estimate. Then last week Jeff walked into Bangkok Market (where he's shopped, I am sure, hundreds of times) and what turns up in the produce aisle? Fresh rambutan!

Jeff hadn't yet tried the fresh rambutan when I gave him a ride to his house. He brought the fruit out to my vehicle and started wondering aloud how we would cut into them. Did I have a knife or something? In the meantime, I grabbed one of the fruit and just ripped it open with my teeth, which worked fine and without much difficulty. This small moment pretty much typifies Jeff's approach to things (do we have the proper tools? what is the policy and procure? how can we tweak it to our advantage?) versus my approach to things (can I do this with my bare hands? no? how about if I rip it open with my TEETH?)

Fingers and teeth appear to work best, like with an orange. The skin separates easily from the fruit inside.

Fresh rambutan is as different from canned rambutan as fresh peaches are from canned peaches. I was surprised to find hard woody seeds inside the fruit. I guess all the rambutan I've had from cans were pitted. Or de-pitted, which strangely enough means the same thing. The pits are about the same size, shape and consistency as olive pits.

Six rambutan in a package cost a bit more than three bucks, but what an amazing and interesting treat.

Once again, Bangkok Market brings deliciousness to our neighborhood; exotic to me and Jeff, but perhaps familiar and comforting to their Asian clientele.

Delicious either way, though.