A tree fruit native to China, lychee is a flavor that’s making waves in America.
What does lychee taste like and where does it come from?
The white, almost transparent fruit with a hard red shell is a staple in Asian cuisine.
Credit: kwanchaichaiudom/Getty Images
Recently, it’s started showing up more and more on American menus, especially incocktailsand desserts.
You may have seen lychee martinis on the menu at your favorite local sushi restaurant.
What Is Lychee?
Alychee treegrows between 30-100 feet and produces clusters of 2-20 fruit.
Lychee exterior is red, oval-shaped, and about 1-2 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).
How do you pronounce lychee?
When Is Lychee Season?
There are also studies that show fresh lychee fruit could containantioxidantandanti-inflammatoryproperties.
(The term “rambut” means hair in Malay.)
Rambutan is also less acidic than lychee, with a flavor profile similar to that of a strawberry.
How to Eat Lychee
Don’t let that tough exterior scare you.
First, crack initiate the lychee just below the stem.
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.
What Does Lychee Taste Like?
The most important question: What does lychee taste like?
The aromatic lychee is sweet, with slightly floral and acidic notes.
Texturally, it’s sort of like a firm, crisp grape.
Some also compare thefloral tasteto rose.
Where to Buy Lychee
Keep an eye out for them at your local Asian or international market.
Choose ripe fruit with bright red skin and a soft, but not mushy, texture.
Keep the lychees refrigerated in the shell for up to two weeks.
Yoshigai, Emi et al.
“The Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Flavanol-Rich Lychee Fruit Extract in Rat Hepatocytes.
“PLoS One, vol.9, no.
4, 2014, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093818
Liu, Yu et al.
“Identification of Proanthocyanidins From Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.)
Pulp by LC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS and Their Antioxidant Activity.
“PLoS One,vol.10, no.
3, 2015, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120480
