Maui Blog - Georgina M. Hunter R(S): Mysterious Tropical Fruits revealed

Just in case anyone was wondering, "what's a rambutan", wonder no more...

I have pictures of some of those exotic sounding fruits that we encounter when submitting comments.  So here for your enjoyment are some tropical delicacies:

On the right you see papayas in the back row, and mangos and starfruits in the boxes up front.  Most people are familiar with papayas and mangos.  Starfruit are a little exotic and don't ship well, so they might be harder to find even in a large market.  They are also called carambola in other parts of the world, and they grow well on Maui.

These are cherimoya fruits, which are the size of large avocados.  The skins are thin and inside the flesh is creamy white and custardy flavored with a hint of pear.  There are a few large black seeds which are easy to remove.  They are really sweet and delicate, and delicious.  These grow up in Kula Maui, where the climate is a little cooler.  I use a spoon to eat one, and they are a real treat.  They are sometimes known as Custard Apple.

Here's the rambutans... they are a lot like lychee, except they have this extreme appearance with rubbery little spikes all over.  Inside they are white and juicy, almost like green grapes, with one large pit in the middle.  You just peel off the outer skin which is fairly sturdy and pop the whole thing into your mouth, then spit out the pit.  Very juicy and they can be messy.  Try not to get any on your clothes.  These have shown up lately in our local markets, as more people have begun cultivating them.  I think they originate in Asia, like the lychee.  You can actually buy them at our local Costco.

These pictures were taken at Mana Foods in Paia Maui.  By the way, RAMBUTAN is also a store in Paia.

I hope this helps to enlighten some of you about our tropical fruits that grow in Hawaii.

Aloha from The Hunter - Georgina M. Hunter R(S)