Many people think that rambutan and lychee are the same fruit, in facts they are really different. Indeed there are similarities, but the differences between rambutan vs lychee are numerous. The lychee fruit is an exotic fruit that is often associated with the arrival of summer in Asia.
At first, lychees came from South China, but now they have spread all over the world. Its wide distribution has often led to crowds comparing the lychee to its cousin “rambutan”.
Differences Between Rambutan Vs Lychee
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Here we will distinguish the two fruits, we will provide an overview of the differences between rambutan vs lychee, in terms of taste, shape, origin, and the nutritional content carried by the two fruits.
Origin and Cultivation
Rambutan and lychee are tropical fruits, originally cultivated in southern China or in the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian.
According to records, the first time lychees were known was during the Tang dynasty. This is different from the rambutan fruit, which originates from southeast Asia, especially in the Malay peninsula area.
Both have similarities, at least they are fruits that come from members of the Sapindaceae – soapberries family, which is why rambutans and lychees are often referred to as cousins.
How to cultivate rambutan and lychee fruit is also the same, where they must be grown in areas with a tropical climate and free from frost. Lychee requires summer heat, rainfall, moisture, and slightly acidic soil. While rambutan is best cultivated in hilly areas, with good drainage, sandy loam and deep soil.
The way to grow lychee is very easy so that this plant can easily spread to various countries, including North America and Europe. Rambutan, apart from growing in Asia, is now also widely cultivated in Central America.
Appearance
The appearance of rambutan and lychee is also almost the same but still different. The size of the rambutan is bigger or as big as a golf ball, while the lychee fruit is smaller.
Apart from that, there are other differences between rambutan and lychee. The skin is very different, where the rambutan skin has red or neon red hairs when ripe, while the lychee is hairless and rough skin with a red color.
In both, when opened you will find white seeds which are both soft fleshed with large seeds inside.
Both rambutan and lychee are green when young and will change color from yellow to red as they ripen.
Rambutan Taste and Lychee
Apart from being different from the skin, rambutan vs lychee is also different from the taste. Rambutan is richer and tastes sweet, sometimes sweet mixed with sour, depending on the variety.
While lychee is not as sweet, it has a crunchier bite and a floral taste.
Nutritional content in rambutan and lychee
Despite their odd shape and skin, rambutan and lychee are tropical fruits that offer an abundance of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.
Both have a similar and similar nutritional composition, especially in terms of calories, fiber and sugar content.
While the other side is the health benefits, where rambutan has the benefit of reducing the risk of diabetes because the sugar content is not high. Other benefits include preventing kidney stones, bones, and being good for heart health.
On the other hand, lychee fruit also has many health benefits, but not much has been studied about this fruit, so there is little information about its benefits. Lychees are also rich in nutrients. In Vietnam, lychees are consumed to boost immunity, lower cholesterol, and are good for digestion because they are rich in fiber.
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How to Eat Rambutan and Lychee
Maybe you are wondering how to eat rambutan and lychee. You see, both are similar and similar, so you can also eat them in the same way.
You can eat it while it’s still fresh, ripe fruit peels off the skin and shows white flesh, this is what you eat. In the middle of the flesh, there is a seed and you have to remove it.
The next way to eat rambutan and lychee is to make it into a smoothie. The rambutan and lychee fruit have a soft, flexible taste so they can easily be mixed with other tropical fruits such as bananas, mangoes, pears and any other fruit, you can even combine rambutan or lychee with grapes to make a smoothie.
Rambutan and lychee are tropical fruits that you can’t miss, they are delicious, sweet, refreshing and healthy. You can enjoy these fruits in any way you want.
Those are some of the differences between rambutan vs lychee. The two have more similarities than differences. Hopefully our little review of rambutan versus lychee can give you an idea of how the characteristics of rambutan and lychee are.
