What is the best lychee?
Taxonomy
- Litchi chinensis subsp. chinensis is the only commercialized lychee. It grows wild in southern China, northern Vietnam, and Cambodia. ...
- Litchi chinensis subsp. philippinensis (Radlk.) Leenh. It is common in the wild in the Philippines and rarely cultivated. ...
- Litchi chinensis subsp. javensis. It is only known in cultivation, in Malaysia and Indonesia. ...
How long does a lychee tree take to fruit?
Lychee trees begin producing fruit in 3-5 years. To harvest the fruit, allow them to turn red. Fruit taken when it’s green will not ripen any further. Remove the fruit from the tree by cutting it from the branch just above the panicle bearing the fruit.
Is a lychee a fruit or vegetable?
Sometimes called "alligator strawberries," lychees are a small tropical fruit (similar to rambutan and longan native) to Southeast Asia. Lychees (Litchi chinensis) grow on lychee trees in bunches. About two inches in diameter, a single lychee fruit is about the size of a golf ball and can easily fit in the palm of your hand.
What does lychee Ramune taste like?
What does lychee Ramune taste like? It’s lightly flavored like a carbonated water, but somewhat heavily sweetened like a soda. You know what this is like? Ramune Lychee tastes like a sweet grape with a slightly bitter aftertaste. How is Ramune made?
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Buying, Using, and Recipes
Darlene Schmidt is a cookbook author and culinary teacher who specializes in Thai cuisine.
What Is Lychee Fruit?
In Asia, the lychee fruit is prized for its greater proportion of flesh to peel and is most often eaten on its own. 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.
How to Use Lychee
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.
What Does It Taste Like?
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.
Lychee Fruit Recipes
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.
Where to Buy Lychee
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!—the fruit in the summer when it is harvested in June and July. Depending on where the lychee comes from, the season will range from May through September.
Storage
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.
Taxonomy
Litchi chinensis is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae.
Description
Litchi chinensis is an evergreen tree that is frequently less than 15 m (49 ft) tall, sometimes reaching 28 m (92 ft).
History
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.
Cultivation and uses
Lychees are extensively grown in southern China, Taiwan, Vietnam and the rest of tropical Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and in tropical regions of many other countries. They require a tropical climate that is frost-free and is not below the temperature of −4 °C (25 °F).
Cultivars
There are numerous lychee cultivars, with considerable confusion regarding their naming and identification. The same cultivar grown in different climates can produce very different fruit. Cultivars can also have different synonyms in various parts of the world.
Poisoning
In 1962, it was found that lychee seeds contained methylenecyclopropylglycine (MCPG), a homologue of hypoglycin A, which caused hypoglycemia in animal studies.
Best Way to Eat Lychee
Like your favorite mango, the lychee – also known as litchi, or mamoncillo chino in Spanish – should be savored out of hand when fully ripe and freshly harvested to best appreciate its ambrosial, floral flavors. They’re also delicious very cold or even slightly frozen.
Growing Your Own
Despite their challenges for commercial growers, lychee trees can be a good choice for your backyard, provided you offer protection from the wind. The attractive trees feature dark green foliage and red fruit and can grow to 40 feet, though most growers keep them to 10-15 feet. Flowers are pollinated by bees and flies.
Finding Lychee
Lychees are harvested from mid-May through July. Find them at farmers markets and roadside stands in the Redland and Homestead agricultural area. Look for ripe fruits – they do not ripen after picking. To store, keep in the refrigerator. Freeze whole unpeeled fruits in zip-top bags.
When to Harvest Lychee Fruit
Unlike many fruits, lychees do not continue to ripen after they’re picked, which means it’s important to time your harvest as well as possible. It can be hard to tell from sight, but ripe lychees are slightly more swollen, causing the bumps on the skin to spread out and take on an overall flatter appearance.
How to Harvest Lychees
Lychee harvest is never done fruit by fruit, as it’s hard to remove them from the stem without damaging the skin and seriously reducing shelf life. You should only ever pick an individual lychee if you plan on putting it straight into your mouth.