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What are the different types of lychee?
LYCHEE VARIETIESBENGAL. Lychee.BREWSTER. Lychee.EARLY LARGE RED. Lychee.EMPEROR. Lychee.HAK IP. Lychee.KAIMANA. Lychee.KWAI MAI PINK. Lychee.MAURITIUS. Lychee.More items...
What is the best type of lychee?
The 'Ha-Kip' is arguably the ideal lychee in that it embodies all of the desirable characteristics that growers and aficionados desire: large size, great flavor, a tiny seed and darker red coloration.
What is the difference between litchi and lychee?
lychee, (Litchi chinensis), also spelled litchi or lichi, evergreen tree of the soapberry family (Sapindaceae), grown for its edible fruit. Lychee is native to Southeast Asia and has been a favourite fruit of the Cantonese since ancient times. The fruit is usually eaten fresh but can also be canned or dried.
Which country is famous for lychee?
Lychee is mostly grown in central and southern Taiwan Province of China. The total area under cultivation in 1999 was 11,961 hectares, with 11,580 hectares of bearing trees and 108,668 tonnes of total production (Anon., 2000).
What does lychee fruit do for the body?
Lychees contain several healthy minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, such as potassium, copper, vitamin C, epicatechin, and rutin. These may help protect against heart disease, cancer, and diabetes ( 3 , 6 , 7 , 16 ).
Is rambutan a lychee?
Rambutans have a creamier texture while lychees are more crisp and juicy. These two fruits are also quite different in terms of taste. Rambutans are sweet with a hint of tartness and have a creamier taste than lychees. Lychee fruits are less sweet, much more fragrant, and have floral notes throughout.
How many lychees should I eat a day?
Moderation is the key. 10-12 litchis every day should not harm your body if you are proper with your diet and exercise habits. Weight loss: The main reason for litchis aiding weight loss is due to the fiber and roughage litchis pack in them.
Is lychee good for diabetics?
It has a glycemic index 50 which causes it to get digested slowly allowing slow release of sugar into the blood. The fibre content also aids to prevent sudden spike in blood sugar level. Since the natural sugars in litchi are fructose, it can be considered safe as it does not require any insulin for metabolism.
Is lychee a fruit or nut?
Owing in large part to its short season, the litchi, a native of southeastern Asia, is widely regarded as a delicacy. Revered for more than 2,000 years in China, it is referred to by any of several forms of the name, among them lichi, lichee and lychee, leechee and laichee.
What is lychee called in English?
Lychee (US: /ˈliːˌtʃiː/ LEE-chee; UK: /ˈlaɪˌtʃiː/ LIE-chee; Litchi chinensis; Chinese: 荔枝; pinyin: lìzhī; Jyutping: lai6 zi1; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: nāi-chi) is a monotypic taxon and the sole member in the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae....LycheeSpecies:L. chinensisBinomial nameLitchi chinensis Sonn.11 more rows
Can you eat lychee skin?
Simply peel and eat Peel with fingers, then nibble or suck the flesh from the seed. They make a refreshing end to a meal. Lychees can be pitted and added to fruit salads or used in sweet and sour dishes and salads.
Are lychees healthy?
It is an excellent source of vitamin C and also contains fiber and other vitamins and minerals. The plant compounds in lychee have antioxidant properties which are beneficial to health. A person should avoid eating too many processed lychee foods or drinks as they contain added sugars.
How do you pick a good lychee?
When selecting lychees, choose fruit with a bright red skin that's about 1 inch in diameter. The skin should give a little when pressed, but if it's too soft, it's probably overripe. The fruit should also have a floral smell.
When should you buy lychees?
Lychee season typically begins in May or June, runs through the summer and ends in September. While you can buy canned lychees all year, some of the fragrant flavor is lost in the canning process, so take advantage of fresh lychees while they are in season to enjoy their flavor to the fullest.
What is Marcotted lychee?
The standard commercial process for propagating lychee trees is via the method known as air-layering or marcotting. This involves girdling a strip of bark and interrupting the cambium on a nicely shaped branch.
Is Brewster lychee sweet?
Like other Lychee varieties, Brewster Lychee fruit has a unique purple-red outer shell and translucent flesh and texture of a grape and a sweet slightly tangy flavor.
2. The different types of lychees eaten fresh and raw, or cooked, are lip-licking great!
Produced from either planting, tree grafting, or lychee trees, today several types are mainly cultivated on farms. Trees can be entirely dependable or utterly unreliable, based on the climate around them. Depending on where it’s grown, the same lychee cultivar might produce very different kinds of lychees.
3. Bra brew me some Brewster Lychees type juice
Introduced to the US from China by Rev. William N. Brewster, Brewster lychees are grafted on Brewster tropical or sometimes subtropical fruit trees with a reliable nature to fruit and flower. Since the cultivar seems to love the climate in Florida, it has become a farmers’ favorite there.
5. Mama mia Marry me Mauritius Lychee type
Well-known in its native Mauritius and some regions of South Africa, Mauritius lychees are also a favorite variety for some lychee growers in Florida. This cultivar is popular among growers for its regular and robust fruits, which produce a type of pit referred to as a “chicken tongue.”
6. Better than Ben Affleck By Day Bengal Lychees type
Cultivated more in South Africa and Australia than in the Indian subcontinent, this lychee variety cultivar is the most popular. Bengal lychee trees are known for their irregular growing habits. Considered a classic lychee variety, its popularity stems from its bright red skin, large chicken-tongue seed, and sweetness.
7. Hulk Hogan has nothing-on-you Hak Ip type Lychees
Hak Ip (pronounced Ha Kip). In Chinese, the name Hak Ip apparently means “black leaf,”- the type of foliage this lychee tree wears – along with a larger and particularly sweet variety of the fruit itself. Hak Ip lychees are large red skin and sweet fruits.
9. Simply such a Sweetheart Lychee type Sweetie
The Sweetheart lychee is considered the darling of the crowd by lychee growers. Aptly named, this type of lychee is widely loved – thanks to a heart-shaped shell that bears an abundant, tasty fruit that can be relied upon to blossom regularly. Sweetheart lychee trees also produce some of the finest lychee fruits.
10. Nobody Knows the Truth About No Mai Tsze Lychees type
Grown on trees, No Mai Tsze lychee growers are hesitant to cultivate No Mai Tsze varieties. The reason for this is that their trees grow in an irregular pattern that may pose a risk to fruit production. In addition, their small size coupled with their irregular growing pattern makes growing it a high-risk, high-reward cultivar.
Are Lychees Beneficial to Your Health?
Lychees, when consumed on a regular basis, may aid in the regulation of blood sugar levels in the body. Unripe lychees, on the other hand, have been shown to have toxins that cause unusually low blood sugar levels. A sudden drop in blood sugar level while sleeping may be deadly.
Types of Lychees
Different lychee cultivars have been cultivated in many areas of the globe, ranging from India to South Africa to Florida, USA. Lychee cultivars are being developed, and new lychee types with distinct features are being developed.
Is it possible to grow lychee from seed?
The good news is that lychee seed germination is quite consistent. The bad news is that it’s unlikely that you’ll ever receive a lychee fruit from it. The lychee fruit you purchase in the supermarket is often hybridized, and the chances of the resultant tree matching its parent are little to none.
From Seed to Fruit: Lychee
The ideal time to propagate lychee seeds is when the fruit is fully ripe. Choose a number of plump, red, and aromatic lychees. Remove the solitary seed from the flesh of your apple after peeling it. The seed should be big, spherical, and smooth. Seeds that are oblong and shriveled are usually not viable and should not be sown.
Interesting Facts Regarding Lychees
Lychee is a medium-sized tree that may reach a height of 40 to 50 feet.
Final Word
To wrap things up, this article was an attempt to compile a wealth of information regarding lychees and put it together in one place so that lychee lovers and enthusiasts can find it easy to enhance their knowledge about the different types of the fruit.
What are the characteristics of lychees?
Characteristics. Lychees are oval to round, depending on variety, and measure about 3 cm in diameter. They have a leathery, scaly, skin, which ranges in colour from pink to red. The flesh is semi-translucent, firm and jelly-like, containing a shiny brown seed.
When is lychee available?
A great eating lychee developed in Australia with a small to medium seed. Available from late November to February, they have a red skin with a slight orange hue and tend to be more round. The lychee (Litchi chinensis) is a subtropical fruit. It is oval to round in shape and about the size of a walnut.
What is lychee berry?
Lychees are berries and are produced on tropical evergreen trees. The trees are attractive with shiny, leathery green leaves and long sprays of green, white or yellow flowers. After a few months, the sprays of flowers become bunches of fruit. Once ripe, the bunches of fruit are harvested by hand.
What is the best lychee to eat?
Popular varieties that are great eating. Souey Tung. This is the first variety of lychee to be cultivated in Australia. It is becoming more readily available. Available from October to November. Wai Chee. Fruit has a deep red colour with a smooth thin skin.
When does lychee produce?
Due to the introduction of earlier and later fruiting varieties, and the extensive production zones from tropical to temperate climates, the industry produces fruit from October in Far North Queensland to early April in Northern NSW.
Why are lychees good luck?
It is Chinese tradition to offer lychees as a New Year good-luck charm because they are considered a symbol of romance.
Where are lychees grown?
Lychee. Lychees are indigenous to China, where they have a been in cultivation for over 2,000 years. Today they are grown on every continent except Antarctica, and they are famed as the "King of Fruits.". Despite worldwide distribution, they remain one of China's best kept secrets.
When is lychee season in Florida?
In South Florida the lychee season is from late May to early July, and at this time they can be found in ethnic markets and gourmet restaurants throughout the country.
Is lychee pulp addictive?
The pulp is aromatic, sweet to sub-acid, separates easily from the seed and outer shell, and is unlike anything else on earth. They are as addictive as they are elusive, and the lychee can quickly become an expensive habit.
Unbe-lychee-ble
Pronounced lee-chee, the fruit got its start in the southern Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Fujian, where it was first cultivated around 1059 AD.
International Love Languages
From its humble beginnings, the lychee has gone on to travel the world, and today it’s grown all over Southeast Asia, including China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and India. (South Africa and Australia are also major growers.)
Where did lychee originate?
Cultivation of lychee began in the region of southern China, going back to 1059 AD, Malaysia, and northern Vietnam. Unofficial records in China refer to lychee as far back as 2000 BC. Wild trees still grow in parts of southern China and on Hainan Island. The fruit was used as a delicacy in the Chinese Imperial Court.
How long are lychee leaves?
Its evergreen leaves are 12.5 to 20 cm (4.9 to 7.9 in) long, with leaflets in two to four pairs. Lychee are similar in foliage to the family Lauraceae, likely due to convergent evolution. They are adapted by developing leaves that repel water, and are called laurophyll or lauroid leaves.
What dynasty was the lychee?
In the 1st century during the Han dynasty, fresh lychees were a popular tribute item, and in such demand at the Imperial Court that a special courier service with fast horses would bring the fresh fruit from Guangdong. There was great demand for lychee in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), according to Cai Xiang, in his Li chi pu (Treatise on Lychees). It was also the favorite fruit of Emperor Li Longji (Xuanzong) 's favored concubine Yang Yuhuan (Yang Guifei). The emperor had the fruit delivered at great expense to the capital.
What is lychee seed?
In 1962, it was found that lychee seeds contained methylenecyclopropylglycine (MCPG), a homologue of hypoglycin A , which caused hypoglycemia in animal studies. Since the end of the 1990s, unexplained outbreaks of encephalopathy occurred, appearing to affect only children in India (where it is called chamki bukhar ), and northern Vietnam (where it was called Ac Mong encephalitis after the Vietnamese word for nightmare) during the lychee harvest season from May to June.
How long does it take for lychee to mature?
The lychee bears fleshy fruits that mature in 80–112 days depending on climate, location, and cultivar. Fruits vary in shape from round to ovoid to heart-shaped, up to 5 cm long and 4 cm wide (2.0 in × 1.6 in), weighing approximately 20 g. The thin, tough skin is green when immature, ripening to red or pink-red, and is smooth or covered with small sharp protuberances roughly textured. The rind is inedible but easily removed to expose a layer of translucent white fleshy aril with a floral smell and a sweet flavor. The skin turns brown and dry when left out after harvesting. The fleshy, edible portion of the fruit is an aril, surrounding one dark brown inedible seed that is 1 to 3.3 cm long and 0.6 to 1.2 cm wide (0.39–1.30 by 0.24–0.47 in). Some cultivars produce a high percentage of fruits with shriveled aborted seeds known as 'chicken tongues'. These fruits typically have a higher price, due to having more edible flesh. Since the floral flavor is lost in the process of canning, the fruit is usually eaten fresh.
Where does Litchi Chinensis grow?
Litchi chinensis subsp. chinensis is the only commercialized lychee. It grows wild in southern China, northern Vietnam, and Cambodia.
How much water is in lychee?
Raw lychee fruit is 69% water, 42% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and contains negligible fat. The raw pulp is rich in vitamin C, having 72 mg per 100 grams – an amount representing 86% of the Daily Value – but contains no other micronutrients in significant content.
What is the best lychee?
The 'Ha-Kip' is arguably the ideal lychee in that it embodies all of the desirable characteristics that growers and aficionados desire: large size, great flavor, a tiny seed and darker red coloration. 1. The 'Sweet Cliff' fruit tends to be smaller than it's popular cousins, the 'Brewster' and 'Mauritius' varieties.
Is Emperor lychee a mountain variety?
The 'Emperor' is an unusually large variety of lychee. It is good tasting with a large seed. The skin (pericarp) of the fruit has very distinct bumps. This is a mountain variety , adapts well to container culture and tends to fruit consistently. The only problem with the Emperor is.
Why is lychee bad for you?
Unripe lychees contain toxins that can cause extremely low blood sugar. This could lead to an encephalopathy, a change in brain functioning, said Dr. Padmini Srikantiah of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention office in India, who led the investigation in Muzaffarpur.
How many lychees should I eat a day?
Moderation is the key. 10-12 litchis every day should not harm your body if you are proper with your diet and exercise habits. Weight loss: The main reason for litchis aiding weight loss is due to the fiber and roughage litchis pack in them.
Are lychees good for you?
Lychees contain several healthy minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, such as potassium, copper, vitamin C, epicatechin, and rutin. These may help protect against heart disease, cancer, and diabetes ( 3 , 6 , 7 , 16 ).
Are lychees and rambutans the same?
The differences between rambutan and lychee are primarily visual: Outer skin: While both fruits have bumpy pinkish-red skin, rambutan also has flexible, electric orange and green hairs, while lychee does not. … In contrast, lychee flesh tends to be both crisper and brighter, much like mangosteen or watermelon.
Are lychee seeds poisonous?
Hypoglycin A is a naturally-occurring amino acid found in the unripened litchi that causes severe vomiting (Jamaican vomiting sickness), while MCPG is a poisonous compound found in litchi seeds that cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, vomiting, altered mental status with lethargy, unconsciousness, coma and death.
Should you refrigerate lychee?
If you buy lychees fresh, you should refrigerate them when you get them home. Unlike some tropical fruit such as avocados, mangos and bananas, lychees don’t ripen after being picked. You can also freeze lychees – just seal them (in their skin) in a freezer bag.
How do you know if a lychee is ripe?
Most lychee varieties are ripe when the skin turns pink or red. Once picked, lychees do not continue to ripen. Choose fruit that is firm and springy, with lush red or pink skin.
Origins and history of lychee cultivation
Originating in Southeast Asia, and now with farms all around subtropical Asia, Africa, and the Americas, lychee has grown from a local delicacy into an internationally commodified cash crop. According to Britannica, lychee holds local importance to many regions in and around Asia, particularly certain parts of India and China.
What lychees taste like and how to eat them
Once you've bought a batch of lychees, to get to the delectably sweet flesh, begin to peel the hard bumpy skin at the base of the fruit as if it were a little spiky red clementine. If the fruit is ripe, the skin should peel without too much trouble.
The many kinds of lychee
Lychee thrives in environments near the equator and tastes as sweet as the papayas, passion fruit, and mangoes with which it shares its climate and subtropical designation. Although the trees grow wild in southern parts of Asia, there are other climates in which lychee cultivation is favorable and has been successful.
Where to buy lychee fruit
If you're looking for fresh, rich lychee fruit, you'll need to wait until the summer — usually about May to September in the U.S. As recently as 2014, outlets such as ABC News were reporting you could only buy lychee in Asian supermarkets. Luckily, that's no longer true.
How to store lychees
Just as with most other fruits, lychees should be left out to ripen and refrigerated to keep fresh. Per Pantry Tips, lychees left at room temperature will expire after two to three days, but in the fridge, they can last up to a week (to be safe, five days).
Nutritional benefits of lychee
The lychee fruit (or pulp) may be delicious but the seeds or pits should not be consumed, as they contain certain chemical compounds that in large doses and in unhealthy bodies can be damaging.
Who shouldn't eat lychee fruit
Lychee fruit is delicious and generally nutritious, but that doesn't mean it's suitable for everyone. Researchers at Humboldt University in Berlin and University Hospital in Zürich found that people with latex or sunflower seed allergies may be more prone to have adverse reactions, such as anaphylaxis, when consuming or even touching lychees.