Here's a fun question from reader Mila. She says:
Hi, Kitchn. While at the market on Sunday, I came across this very interesting fruit. At least I think it's a fruit. Having never seen this, I picked up out of curiosity. When I asked what it was, I had trouble understanding what the owner said. The woman in line behind me told me she had never seen it herself.
So here you have me, puzzled and hopeful of your help. An oval shape, with rough/textured brown skin/shell. The flesh is a transparent very much like that of a grape. Again, hope you or your readers can help. I'm pretty new to Kitchn and am glad to have found it.
Gracias,
Mila
Mila, we're so glad you found us, and yes, we can be of help. This mystery fruit is....
....a lychee!
The lychee is a tropical tree native to southern China, and also found in southern parts of the US, India, Southeast Asia, and the Philippines. The fruit is a drupe (definition here). It's rather like a pomegranate seed in that there is an aril of flesh surrounding a large nut or seed. That seed in the center should not be eaten.
These fruits have a highly perfumed taste - almost like roses. They are sweet and juicy, and while they appear often now in couture pastries and jellies, we prefer them straight. We often bought these when we lived in Florida, breaking them off the twigs they came on, and splitting the slightly spiky skin open with a spoon. Delicious!
Store in the fridge to keep them fresh. Lucky you, Mila!
Related: In Season: Fresh Dates
(Images: Reader Mila - thanks for the gorgeous photos, Mila!)
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Looks like a lychee nut. great in cocktails
oops, I see you revealed the answer
Hmmm, lychees! YUM.
is there a lychee season?
Gleam, the only time I see them in the grocery store is in late fall, but I'm not sure.
The brighter ones seem to be better than the more brown ones. Not sure if that's just my personal preference though.
Here in South Florida, they are ripe now until about mid July (if you've got a good season).
in china lychee season is in early summer - from end of may to early july.
Lychee season starts early summer, I see them in SF Chinatown, but they don't look ripe yet.
They should be a darkish red colour and firm to the touch. If it's still green, it's not ready, brown is usually not fresh (probably refridgerated too long). Try and buy them with the stems attach. You shouldn't need a spoon to break it open. If the stems are still attach, a quick tug will open a small hole, and allowing you the peel it. Else, a slight pinch with your fingers should "pop" open the "shell", allowing you to remove the shell completely.
Similar to lychee is Longan, which are yellowish brown and round in shape. They are in season later than Lychee, usually around late summer, early fall.
lychee, and they're super sweet (too much for a sweets lover like me)
Love lychees too. Too bad they are expensive here, but in asian countries they can be dirt cheap. And really refreshing when eaten after being refrigerated.
Lychees! When I would eat them in Taiwan, my relatives always told me not to eat too many because they are full of the "hot" element and I could get a nosebleed. Well, I never got a nosebleed, but then maybe I just never ate enough. Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?
@joyosity: I sort of know what you're talking about. Most foods that Chinese people eat have hot or cold "elements" to them. I could never get it straight on which ones are which and what effects they have. I just eat what I like. Regardless of if my parents tell me that I'll have too much cold or too much hot. Haven't really had a problem so far.
The lychee fruit is very nice by itself as Faith said but also preserved as well. It goes well with ice scream and yoghurt. Please enjoy as its now in season.
to answer joyosity and add to wunami: all foods have an inherent temperature to it (outside of whether or not it has been cooked/refridgerated). Some of it is very intuitive - watermelon is very cooling, which is why we love it so much in the summer. But you have to be careful with something as hot as lychee or longan rou, especially if you have a skin condition like eczema, for it's heat can make the condition worse/itchier. Hope that helps! :-)
I love lychee. In South Florida people sell them in the street. Depending on the intersection it could be flowers or lychee.
if you can't get fresh lychees, the canned kind might be an option (try Asian grocery stores?)...especially for lychee martinis. Of course, you can't beat fresh for the flavor and texture.
but if you find lychees too sweet, the canned versions are even sickly sweeter!
i really like longans best because i find that lychees can be very sweet with a slight bitter edge. longans are a bit tamer in sweet but still has a nice distinct flavour.
my mom also told me about how lychees raise your "internal temperature" type of thing. I always told my mom to buy a huge bag because they are so good and she never does :( for that reason. Now I live by myself so I will eat as much as I want or can afford, they are way more expensive even in Toronto than in China
Hello all! Thanks for your help in identifying this fruit. I finally had it earlier this week and I must agree that it is quite sweet. But I don't want to give up on it just yet...please tell me more about Lychee cocktails.
Thanks,
Mila
My mom told me lychees would give me a nosebleed too! I never encountered anyone else who had heard that. I guess I'm not alone. Anyhow, it doesn't stop me from eating as many as I can when I can get my hands on them! However, I prefer longans, as they tend to be less tart and are still oh-so-sweet and juicy.
You can also enjoy LOGAN now at the oriental supermarket, they're much like lychee.