Lychee

Also known asLitchi · Lichee · Litchi chinensis · 荔枝

Name: Lychee, also spelled litchi (Litchi chinensis). It is a close relative of the longan and rambutan, which are described on their own pages. Dried lychee, often called “lychee nuts,” has a separate page under Dried Fruits.

Description

The lychee is native to southern China, particularly the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian, and has been grown there for a very long time, treasured for its sweet, perfumed flavour. A famous tale from the Tang dynasty says that the emperor's favourite concubine, Yang Guifei, loved fresh lychees so much that messengers raced them over long distances so they would arrive fresh.

Lychee later spread to northern India, Southeast Asia, Madagascar, South Africa and other warm regions, and is now grown in many tropical and subtropical countries. The fruit has a rough, pinkish-red shell that peels away easily to reveal a translucent, juicy white flesh around a large, glossy brown seed.

Main nutrition value

Lychees are rich in vitamin C, and also provide some potassium, copper and polyphenols, with a naturally sweet, floral flavour.

How best to be consumed

Lychees are eaten fresh, simply peeled, and are at their best chilled and ripe.

1. Peel the shell, eat the flesh and discard the large seed.
2. Chill the fruit first, since lychees taste especially refreshing cold.
3. Add peeled lychees to fruit salads, sorbets, cocktails and drinks, or serve with ice cream.
4. Use in Asian desserts, jellies and sweet soups, where the floral flavour shines.
5. Choose fruit with a bright, fresh shell and a sweet fragrance, and eat within a few days.

Overconsumption could cause…

Lychees are safe in ordinary amounts when ripe, with a few notable cautions.

1. Low blood sugar in undernourished children who eat large amounts of unripe lychee on an empty stomach, linked in some regions to natural toxins that are higher in unripe fruit.
2. High sugar intake if many are eaten at once, since the flesh is sweet.
3. Allergic reactions in some people, including oral itching.
4. Digestive upset from a large quantity, and a choking risk from the large seed.

GroupsStone FruitsTropical FruitsRose family (Rosaceae)Soapberry family (Sapindaceae)Low fatLow sodiumRich in vitamin CChineseFresh

Made intoDried Lychee

Related foodsRambutanMangoCoconutLonganJujubeCherry

Wikipedia — Lychee, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lychee