Soapberry family (rambutan, lychee)

Hairy, spiky or smooth on the outside — rose-perfumed jelly within.

The family

Sapindaceae is the Southeast Asian drupe clan that gave the world lychee, rambutan and longan. All three share a leathery rind around translucent, single-seeded flesh that tastes of rose, white grape and tropical perfume. They ripen fast and are unforgiving in transit, which is why a fresh lychee in season eats nothing like the tinned version you remember from a Chinese takeaway.

Try thisCrack the rind at the seam with a thumbnail, squeeze the flesh out of the shell, eat around the seed.

In this family

2 fruits we source

Elsewhere in the Atlas

Six more families to wander

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Taste the family

Want to taste them all?

Build a box around soapberry family (rambutan, lychee) — or pair them with siblings from across the Atlas.

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Sapindaceae