If you are a fan of fresh and floral flavors, lychee is a palate-pleaser you wouldn’t want to miss. This juicy fruit carries a delightful aroma, making it a fantastic choice for sweet and savory dishes alike.
In this article, we explore some of the best favorite ways to enjoy this fruit from the comfort of your own home.
What Is a Lychee?
Lychee, also known as litchi, is a tropical fruit originating from Southern China that belongs to the soapberry family. Lychee shares its roots with other exotic treats such as rambutan and longan and falls into the category of drupes or stone fruits.
The insides contain large, non-edible dark brown seeds enclosed in translucent white flesh. Basically, this is the tasty and safe-to-eat part of the litchi fruit. On the outer areas of this translucent white flesh is a tough, bumpy peel that comes in shades of red, purple, or pink, depending on the lychee variety.
Lychees typically thrive in tropical climates, meaning that they are usually imported into North America from other regions. The peak times for lychee availability vary depending on their country of origin, although they mostly arrive between May and September.
How to Peel a Lychee Fruit
Peeling a lychee is no rocket science. Although the skin might seem tough, a bit of pressure from your thumbnail is all it takes –as easy as peeling an orange! Just use your thumbnail to puncture the skin, then peel it away to reveal the pearly white flesh. To expose the seed, slice the flesh along the side and use your fingers to separate the flesh from the seed. You can then discard the seed.
While you don’t need any special tools to peel lychees, it’s a good idea to do it over a bowl since lychees are quite juicy, and peeling them can get a bit messy. These juices can then be put to good use in various recipes.
The Benefits of Lychees
Here are some of the reasons why you should be adding this tropical delight to your diet.
Lychees are Rich in Nutrients
Lychees are an excellent natural source of essential vitamins and minerals. In just one cup of fresh lychee fruit, you’ll find 125 calories, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 1.5 grams of protein, 0.83 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of fiber, 151 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for Vitamin C, 7 percent of the DV for Folate, 7 percent of the DV for Niacin, 11 percent of the DV for Vitamin B6, 7 percent of the DV for Potassium, and 31 percent of the DV for Copper.
Especially noteworthy is the high vitamin C that plays a crucial role in immune function, collagen production, and neurotransmitter synthesis. Vitamin C also acts as a potent antioxidant, safeguarding your cells from damage.
Lychees are Rich in Antioxidants
Lychees are packed with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds (including gallic acid, caffeic acid, and epicatechin). These have an active role in protecting your body from damage caused by free radicals, and unstable molecules that can harm body cells. Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds help prevent conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes and reduce inflammation.
Lychee Fruits Provide Liver Support
While lifestyle choices like moderate alcohol intake, avoiding smoking and drugs, and a balanced diet are key to liver health, emerging research suggests that lychees might offer additional support.
There are indications that lychee fruit extracts may:
- Reduce oxidative stress by neutralizing free radicals
- Accelerate liver cell regeneration
- Decrease liver fat accumulation
- Enhance the function of liver cell mitochondria (the energy-producing part)
Although more research is still being done on the subject, the bottom line remains that incorporating lychees, along with a variety of fruits and vegetables, into your diet can be a healthful way to support your liver.
Key Takeaway
Eating lychees is good for you because they are full of important nutrients, especially vitamin C, which helps your immune system and protects your cells. Lychees also have antioxidants that keep your body healthy and may even help your liver by reducing stress and supporting cell regeneration.
How to Eat a Lychee Fruit
Here’s how to get the most out of your lychee fruits.
Eat Them Raw
Delicately peel back half the skin, extract the fruit, and remove the seeds. This is the most straightforward and gratifying method to savor this exotic fruit.
Use Them in Your Main Dishes
Add your lychee-infused sauce to your lean beef, pork chops, or chicken meals. The secret lies in blending a mix of red onion, lychees, and golden raisins to bring out a delicious blend of sweetness.
Turn Them into Appetizers
Get the whole family involved in cooking by making stuffed lychee appetizers. You can combine fat-free cream cheese, pecans, lychee pulp, shredded coconut, and a bit of citrus juice.
Enjoy a Lychee-Lime Cooler
You can also combine lychee juice, shredded ginger, lime juice, and diet Fresca soda over ice for a refreshing and sophisticated beverage.
Add Them to Your Breakfast
Finish your breakfast with slices of lychee in waffles, pancakes, or whole-grain crêpes. The best way is to mix them with strawberries and pineapples to add a lively spectrum of taste and color.
Put Them in Salads
Lychee fruits can also enhance the culinary character of any salad. A lychee salad is refreshing and rich in vitamin C content, contributing to immune support and collagen production.
Key Takeaway
To enjoy lychee fruits, peel them delicately for a straightforward experience or incorporate them into various meals, such as adding lychee-infused sauce to lean meats, making stuffed lychee appetizers, creating a refreshing Lychee-Lime Cooler, including them in breakfast items like waffles, pancakes, or crêpes, and enhancing the flavor and nutritional value of salads with their sweet and vitamin C-rich profile.
Bottom Line
Lychee fruits are highly nutritious and can serve a diverse range of purposes. Whether you’re peeling them with the grace of a fruit ninja or turning them into sidekicks for your main dishes, lychees bring the party to your palate.
If you want to learn more about lychee or purchase fresh and ethically sourced produce from FAVE Produce, you can check out our product pages.
Enjoy the fruity fun!