Dried Lychee

Also known asDried Litchi · Lychee Nuts · 荔枝干

Name: Dried lychee, often sold as “lychee nuts” (Litchi chinensis), whole fruit dried in their shells until the flesh shrinks and darkens. The fresh fruit has its own pages under Stone Fruits and Tropical Fruits.

Description

Lychee is native to southern China, and drying has long been used to preserve the short-season fruit and carry it long distances. When the whole fruit is dried, the shell turns hard, brittle and brown, and the flesh inside shrinks around the seed, becoming dark, wrinkled and chewy — hence the “nut” name, although it is not a nut at all.

Dried lychee has a rich, sweet flavour somewhere between a raisin and a date, with a slightly smoky, tea-like edge. It is eaten out of the shell as a snack, or used in teas, sweet soups and desserts, particularly in Chinese cooking.

Main nutrition value

Dried lychee is a concentrated source of natural sugar and carbohydrate, with some of the fresh fruit's vitamin C retained, and a little fibre and potassium.

How best to be consumed

Crack the dried shell, remove the flesh, and discard the seed.

1. Crack the shell, eat the chewy flesh and discard the seed.
2. Simmer in water with rock sugar, dates and goji for a sweet tea or soup.
3. Add to desserts, tonic soups and herbal teas.
4. Eat a few as a snack rather than a handful, since they are very sweet.
5. Store in a cool, dry, airtight container.

Overconsumption could cause…

Drying removes water but leaves the sugar, so dried fruit is far more concentrated in sugar and energy than the fresh fruit.

1. High sugar and calorie intake from eating many pieces.
2. Digestive upset from a large quantity of concentrated sugar.
3. A choking risk from the large seed, so it should always be removed and children supervised.
4. In traditional Chinese medicine, lychee is considered “heating,” so eating a lot is traditionally said to cause a dry mouth or sore throat.

GroupsDried FruitsSoapberry family (Sapindaceae)Low fatLow sodiumRich in potassiumRich in vitamin CChineseDried

Made fromLychee

Related foodsDried LonganDried Goji BerriesDried PersimmonDried DatesCurrantsDried Pear

Wikipedia — Lychee, used for origin and general background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lychee Wikipedia — Dried fruit, used for general background on drying and storing fruit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dried_fruit