What is lychee

Also called a lychee nut, the fruit is comprised of three layers: the reddish husk, white flesh, and brown seed. Although the exterior looks leathery and tough, it's very easy to remove using just your fingers. This will reveal a white interior with a glossy sheen and firm texture, similar to a grape.

To prepare a lychee, remove the husk and the stone. If you are simply eating the lychees out of hand, you can place the entire white ball of flesh in your mouth and then spit out the seed. Your thumbnail works best for piercing open the bumpy outer "alligator skin. The skin of a ripe lychee should pierce easily and slide off almost effortlessly. If you're preparing lychee for use in a recipe, peel the fruit, then carefully score it in half to reveal the stone or seed.

Next, open up the two halves of the fruit; the seed should stick to one side, similar to an avocado. Use your finger and thumb to pinch and slightly dig under the other side of the stone to remove the seed.

Ripe lychee should expel its seed quite easily, but don't worry if the fruit tears a little in the process. The flavor of lychee fruit is described in a few different ways.

Some say it tastes like a cross between a strawberry and a watermelon, while others taste a blend of citrus and rose water or other floral note, owing to the fruit's sweet, strong aroma. Because of the fruit's unique flavor, serving it on its own is the most popular preparation. Add ripe lychee to a fruit salad or green salad for a burst of juicy sweetness or, boil with sugar and water to create a simple syrup for cocktails like a martini , ice cream, sorbet, and sweet summer tea.

Lychee pairs well with tropical fruit like mango, coconut, banana, passion fruit, and pineapple, so keep that in mind when using your lychee nuts. Finding fresh lychee fruit can be tricky; if you are lucky enough to live in an area that grows lychee, you can purchase—or pick!

Depending on where the lychee comes from, the season will range from May through September. Otherwise, visit your local Asian market or purchase vacuum-sealed or canned lychee online. You may also come across dried lychees, which have a crunchy texture.

When buying fresh lychees or picking them straight from the tree , choose fruit that is larger than an inch in diameter with bright red skin.

Check for ripeness by gently pressing on the skin with your thumb — it should feel a little bouncy. Ripe lychee should be vibrant in color and free of blemishes and soft spots. Once picked, lychee fruit ceases to ripen, making it imperative that it's sold as fresh as possible.

If any of the fruit is cracked, oozing liquid, or smells fermented, the lychee has already spoiled. Since lychee ferments as it ages, it is important to store it properly.

Wrap the fruit in a paper towel and place in a perforated plastic zip-top bag, and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

It is best, however, to use them quickly to enjoy their unique flavor at its freshest. For longer storage, lychee can be frozen; simply place in a zip-top bag, remove any excess air, and place in the freezer.

The skin may discolor a bit, but the fruit inside will still be tasty. In fact, eaten straight from the freezer, they taste like lychee sorbet. Get ready to learn all that and more in this guide to the wonderful lychee fruit. Lychee Litchi chinensis is a fruit that belongs to the soapberry family, Sapindaceae , and is native to the provinces of Kwangtung and Fukien in southern China.

A lychee tree grows between feet and produces clusters of fruit. Lychee exterior is red, oval-shaped, and about inches wide. Beneath the skin lies the thick, translucent-white portion of lychee fruit covering a seed. Choose fresh lychee fruit that is reddish-pink though browner skins are perfectly OK to eat as well. Since they need a tropical climate to grow, lychees are often imported with the exception of Hawaii and some areas of Florida.

Peak seasons vary depending on the country they're coming from, but mostly show up in the U. Lychee contains a decent amount of vitamin C and is a great option for meeting your daily fruit serving. There is also a study that shows fresh lychee fruit could contain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Mostly found in Malaysia and Thailand, rambutan is very similar to lychees in flavor and texture, but it's the appearance that will make you take a second look due to its "hairy" exterior. The term "rambu" means hairy in Malay. Rambutan is also less acidic than lychee, with a flavor profile similar to that of a strawberry.

Don't let that tough exterior scare you. First, crack open the lychee just below the stem. From there, the leathery red skin is easily peeled away or popped out by squeezing from the opposite end to reveal the fruit that feels sort of like a grape without the peel.

Eat the lychee fruit just like you would a cherry, discarding the seed. For the best flavor, lychees shouldn't be peeled until just before eaten or served. The aromatic lychee is sweet, with slightly floral and acidic notes. Upon biting, you'll get a juicy flavor burst with a taste similar to a strawberry or pear with a hint of citrus.