The name pulasan comes from the Malay word pulas (twist), related to the Visayan pulas (take off, remove) and Tagalog pilas (rip, tear). The fruit is opened through the act of twisting the fruit with both hands, thus the name Pulasan.While similar to rambutan, the fruit lacks the hairy spines. The flesh is sweet and juicy, and separates easily from the seed, much more easily than the rambutan.In addition, unlike the seed of the rambutan, the seed of the pulasan is readily edible raw. It has a flavor somewhat like that of almonds.