How do they eat lychees? Recipes for delicious desserts. What is lychee fruit, beneficial properties
Lychee is an unusual and even outlandish name for us, and those who hear it for the first time will not immediately think of a tropical fruit. And this fruit, like many previously unknown fruits, is not only tasty, but also healthy.
What is lychee
What are lychees? This is the name of a tree from the Sapindaceae family.: this family is very large - there are about 150 genera, and there are many more species - as many as 2000. The vast majority of these species grow only in the tropics: in America, Asia, Africa, but in Australia there are not so many of them.
Here we will tell you a little about the types of lychees that grow in Asia. This fruit has other names: “lisi” and “liji”, and from these names one might think that its homeland is China.
Perhaps this is so: in Ancient China, lychees were actually consumed - mentions of this are found in documents dating back to the 2nd century BC. Then the fruit came to neighboring countries, and there it was also appreciated - they began to grow it throughout Southeast Asia, and then on other continents.
Lychee came to Europe much later - only in the 17th century. For the first time, Europeans were able to read its detailed description in the book of Gonzalez de Mendoza, a Spanish writer interested in the history of China. He wrote that lychees are similar to plums, and you can eat as many of them as you like - there will be no heaviness in your stomach. Therefore, one of the names of lychees is Chinese plum, and these fruits are grown today in many countries - even in the southern states of the USA.
Lychee fruits are small, ovoid or oval, up to 3.5 cm in diameter, and weigh – at most – about 20 grams. The peel of the fruit is dense, pimply and lumpy, rich red in color, and is separated from the pulp quite easily. The pulp in lychee fruits is very interesting - jelly-like, with a white or cream tint, and inside it there is a large brown seed. The taste of this pulp is very pleasant and refreshing - sweet and sour, and the aroma is not inferior to it - you want to inhale it again and again.
Composition and beneficial properties of lychee fruit
The Chinese often call lychee the “eye of the dragon”: white flesh, dark seed. Lychee has a very rich vitamin composition and many beneficial properties.. It contains a lot of healthy clean water, quite a lot of complex carbohydrates, proteins, some fat and dietary fiber. The amount of sugar in lychee fruits depends on the region in which the fruits grew, as well as their variety: it can be about 6-14%.
Vitamins – C, E, H, K, group B; minerals - potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, chlorine, phosphorus, iron, iodine, manganese, copper, zinc, fluorine. There are few calories in lychee, but more than other similar fruits - about 76 kcal per 100 grams. There is much more vitamin C in lychee than other vitamins, and potassium comes first among minerals - so lychee fruit is very useful for heart patients.
The Chinese have always believed that its use helps the heart, and today in China it is used to prevent cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, and also to reduce the level of “bad” cholesterol in the body.
Lychee has a tonic effect on the body, and in Eastern countries it is also considered a strong aphrodisiac - Hindus even say that lychee is the fruit of love. It quenches thirst, relieves constipation, normalizes the functioning of the stomach and intestines, and helps to lose weight. Consumption of lychee is recommended for anemia, liver and pancreas diseases, gastritis, peptic ulcers and diabetes.
In combination with lemongrass and other medicinal herbs, lychee is used in China to treat cancer. Lychee peel is also used: a decoction from it helps prevent the accumulation of fluid in tissues and improves body tone.
Lychee fruit in medicine
Eastern medicine especially often uses lychees to treat diseases of the kidneys, liver and lungs.– these organs are considered the main ones by eastern experts.
Lychee improves the functioning of the kidneys and liver, and has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the lungs: this fruit is recommended for bronchitis, asthma and tuberculosis. For diabetes, it is enough to eat 10 fruits a day to normalize blood sugar levels.
Many countries in Southeast Asia make good money by growing and selling lychees. For example, in Thailand, the share of exports of this fruit is quite large among all others: the areas where lychee grows are constantly increasing - growing lychee is profitable because it is stored for a long time and can be freely transported to other countries.
You can feel the real taste of lychee only by trying the fresh fruit, but also in dried, frozen and even canned form, these fruits retain many of their beneficial properties. Frozen lychees can be stored for more than a month, and at the same time they will not lose their taste and healing qualities.
Lychees are also grown in Vietnam - in the northern regions, and are also exported to many countries around the world, including Russia.
When you buy lychees in a store, pay attention to the color of the peel of the fruit: dark peel means that this fruit was removed from the branch a long time ago, and it is tasteless and has little benefit. The skin of the fresh fruit is red, soft, but not too soft, and does not have any damage.
How to eat lychees. Lychee fruit in cooking
Eating lychees is very easy: The fruit must be washed, peeled, and the pulp placed on a plate. Lychee fruits can remind us of cherries in some way - the seeds are pulled out of them like seeds. You can add peeled lychee fruits to champagne - it will turn into an amazing drink.
Lychee is added to desserts and sauces, ice cream and drinks, and used as a filling for pies., and enterprising Chinese learned to make wine from it. Lychee goes well with fish, chicken and even pork; You can serve lychee with pates and fried dishes, and it’s always good in salads.
Pancakes with fruit filling
You can prepare different dishes, but we suggest you try fruit filled pancakes as a dessert. At first glance, the recipe seems somewhat exotic, but today it is not difficult to buy any fruit, so it’s worth a try - children will especially like it.
You need to take a little flour - only 150 g, one whole egg and one yolk, 300 ml of coconut milk, banana, papaya and mango - 1 piece each, passion fruit - 2 pieces, and lychee - 4 pieces. In addition, you will need lime juice, 2 tbsp. liquid honey, 3-4 fresh mint leaves, 1 tbsp. powdered sugar, a pinch of salt and vegetable oil for frying.
Sift the flour, add the eggs, and then, gradually adding coconut milk and butter, knead the dough. Cover it and leave for half an hour. Prepare the fruit filling: mix peeled and chopped banana and papaya in a deep bowl, pour over lime juice, stir, add chopped mango and passion fruit, lychee and honey. Bake 8-10 thin pancakes from the prepared dough, place the filling in the center of each, roll the pancakes into a cone, place on a plate, sprinkle with powdered sugar and garnish with mint.
You can also make homemade ice cream with lychee: it will resemble what is prepared industrially, but will be much healthier and safer. 1 kg of lychee is peeled, cut, seeds removed, mixed with the juice of 5 lemons and ½ liter of pineapple juice. Prepare gelatin in advance: soak the plate for 10 minutes in cold water, squeeze it out, and then dissolve it along with sugar (250 g) in some lemon juice, and also add it to the lychee. Mix everything well and put it in the freezer in a plastic container. After a few hours, the dessert is ready.
Are there any contraindications to eating lychee fruit? Surprisingly, there are practically none: lychees can be harmful only if there is an individual intolerance, but they should also not be abused - in this case allergic reactions may occur. Children can eat these pleasant-tasting fruits little by little - no more than 100 grams per day, otherwise they may develop acne on their skin. In adults, with excessive consumption of lychee, the oral mucosa suffers.
Exotic fruits are increasingly entering our lives. If earlier we were content with canned fruits (“tropical cocktail”, “pineapple in its juice”, etc.), now in any supermarket you can easily buy fresh fruit from the other side of the planet. Your eyes are wide open - the display cases with tropical delicacies amaze you with the abundance of colors, aroma, and various forms. However, buying an unfamiliar fruit can be puzzling (not everyone has vacationed in Thailand or Bali) and raise many questions: what is lychee fruit, how should you eat such a fruit and what is edible in it, what does it taste like and is it healthy?
Did you know? The most ancient mention of the lychee tree dates back to 59 (the period of the Chinese Eastern Han dynasty) - this is a story about a nobleman who, having accidentally tasted the lychee fruit, hastened to notify Emperor Liu Zhuang about the discovered delicacy (although there are legends about Emperor Wu Di, who was still 2nd century BC wanted to plant lychees in Northern China). Most likely, the birthplace of lychee is southern China. It is known that in the 8th century, Emperor Tang Xuanzong sent 600 warriors to get these fruits for his beloved concubine Yang Yuhuan (a legendary woman of mystery in China and Japan), who loved them very much. The Vietnamese believe that lychee ended up in China as a gift from the Vietnamese emperor of the Mai dynasty (although it is known that there was no such dynasty in Vietnam, there was a “black emperor Mai” - a poor man who rebelled against the Chinese and proclaimed himself emperor). A large mission with gifts (including lychees) went to China under the founder of the Mac Dang Dung dynasty. But this was already in 1529.
What is lychee
Lychee (Litchi chinensis) is an evergreen tree with a wide crown. Grows in height up to 30 meters. Grows in the tropics and subtropics of Eurasia, Africa and America. Lychee has many other names: “Chinese plum”, “laysi”, “dragon eye”, “Chinese grape”, “fox”, “linchi”. The leaves are pinnate, lanceolate, dark green in color.
When blooming, flowers without petals form umbrella-shaped inflorescences. Lychee is an excellent honey plant (pollinated primarily by bees). The fruits grow in clusters (13-15 pieces) and ripen in May-June. The yield ranges from 10 kg (in cool climates) to 150 kg (in optimal conditions).
Lychee fruits are oval in shape, size from 2 to 4 cm, weight up to 20 grams. The ripe fruit is red in color with a tuberous skin. The lychee peel is easily separated (it is covered with a film on the inside) and reveals a delicate white jelly pulp. The pulp has a pleasant sweet and sour, slightly astringent flavor of plum and grape. Inside the fruit is a hard, dark brown seed (reminiscent of an acorn).
Despite the abundance of varieties (more than 100), the most popular are:
- the green hanging one is one of the most ancient and rare. Retains freshness without peeling for three days;
- glutinous rice balls. It is distinguished by a honey flavor and a small seed (sometimes absent altogether);
- huaichi (“bunches of berries in hand”);
- March red (earliest to ripen);
- smile Yang Yuhuan (early ripens, red juice in the peel);
- sweet osmanthus. They have the scent of osmanthus flower.
Lychee fruits are collected in clusters (this way they are better transported, they last longer). Often, for better preservation during transportation, they are collected unripe. Lychees retain their true taste for no more than three days after collection.
Did you know? Lychee owes its appearance in Europe and its spread throughout the world to the French botanist Pierre Sonnera (1748-1814). The scientist traveled to Indochina and China and brought with him not only descriptions of unprecedented plants, but also their seedlings. The French liked the taste of lychee so much that in 1764 on the island. The first plantation of this plant was planted in Reunion (by engineer J.-F. Charpentier de Cossigny de Palma). The French planted lychees on the island. Madagascar (became the world supplier of this fruit). Lychee has become widely grown in South Africa, Australia, the southern Japanese islands, Central America, Brazil and the USA.
Calorie content, nutritional value and composition of lychee
Lychee is distinguished by its low calorie content (– 66 kcal), low fat and protein content. Fruits are especially rich in vitamins and minerals. Among the vitamins, the leading position is occupied by ascorbic acid (71.5 mg). An important place is occupied by B vitamins - niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, pantothenic and folic acids. There is also rare vitamin K or phylloquinone (important for normal blood clotting), E (tocopherol), D (viosterol) and H (biotin).
The vitamin group is supplemented with micro- and macroelements: phosphorus, potassium, calcium, copper, magnesium, sodium, zinc, selenium, iron, manganese, iodine.
Important! Lychee peel contains many essential oils. They give the fruit its aroma. The seeds and peel are not eaten.
As a rule, lychees are eaten fresh or frozen (this is how they contain the most beneficial properties). In India, Indochina and China you can find so-called “lychee nuts” - dried fruits in peel. When dried, the peel hardens and, if you shake it, the dry kernel rattles inside (there are fewer vitamins here, but the mineral composition is preserved.)
What are the benefits of lychee for the body?
A unique combination of vitamins and minerals, low calorie content make lychee valuable nutritional and medicinal product.
Prevention of anemia
Regular consumption of lychee fruits effectively helps in preventing anemia. The high percentage of copper in lychee plays a big role in increasing the number of red blood cells.
Did you know? Kongou tea is very popular in Asia. When brewed, it emits a rich grapefruit smell, and when tasting, a specific taste of lychee sweetness is felt. The secret of this tea is the addition of pieces of dried lychee peel. In Thailand, this tea is drunk with ice as a soft drink.
Digestion Aid
Lychees contain soluble fiber, free the stomach and intestines from toxic and harmful substances, and normalize digestion (eliminate constipation). Lychee pulp has antacid properties, eliminates nausea, helps with mild diarrhea, stomach acidity and dyspepsia. Powder of ground seeds in folk medicine of India and Vietnam helped get rid of helminths, cope with gastrointestinal disorders.
For skin beauty
The way the skin of the face and body looks can be influenced by lychee pulp. It is rich in many components that are beneficial to the skin, nourishes and moisturizes it, has antioxidant properties, helps restore collagen, improves appearance, and smoothes wrinkles. It’s easy to make a face mask from fresh fruits at home. Gels and creams containing lychee extract also widely used for skin care.
For bone strength
Minerals (phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, calcium, etc.) effectively maintain the condition of bones and teeth. Lychee pulp also contains vitamin D (which is important for the body's absorption of calcium).
Did you know? Lychee is known as a strong aphrodisiac. In China, they believe that the lychee fruit maximally concentrates the energy “Yang” - “equal to three torches of fire”, a symbol of love and masculinity. Similar views on lychee exist in Indian folk medicine - before intercourse, a couple in love is recommended to eat lychee fruit, and its benefits will manifest itself in enhancing male sexual strength and mutual attraction.
For weight loss
Oligonol was produced from the pulp of the lychee fruit, which effectively reduces fat mass and improves blood circulation. Lychee extract is included in various dietary preparations. Knowledge of how to eat lychees correctly (namely, consume fresh up to 250 g per day) will help those who want to lose excess weight. The lychee fruit consists of 82% water, is low in calories, has no cholesterol, and contains healthy fiber and pectin.
For heart
The abundance of polyphenols (15% higher than in grapes), the high content of niacin, potassium, copper and manganese in ideal proportions makes consumption Lychee is extremely beneficial for people with heart and vascular problems. Lychee removes excess cholesterol, dilates blood vessels, regulates the frequency of contractions of the heart muscle, regulates blood pressure, etc.
Contraindications and restrictions on consumption
The use of lychee by adults has no special restrictions, and there are practically no contraindications for them (except for individual intolerance). Even with excessive consumption of lychee, the worst thing that can happen is irritation of the mucous membrane and gas formation in the intestines, therefore, it is better to limit the consumption of six to seven fruits.
Important! Children under three years of age are prohibited from consuming lychee fruits. . For those over three years old, it is necessary to limit the amount of lychee (two or three pieces) and, most importantly, not give it on an empty stomach. In 2017, scientists uncovered the cause of annual epidemics among children in India: for 25 years, from mid-May to June, children became infected with acute encephalopathy (40% of those sick died). The reason was that unripe lychee fruits contain hypoglycine and methylenecyclopropylglycine (block glucose synthesis). All these children ate unripe lychees on an empty stomach the day before the disease, and their glucose levels in the body dropped sharply.
Therefore, neglect the benefits of lychee d For a child’s body, it’s not worth it, but you need to follow simple rules: give fruits after meals, select ripe and fresh fruits, make sure there are no allergic reactions.
Lychee in medicine and cosmetology
The unique chemical composition of lychee fruits allows the fruit and its beneficial properties to be used both in pure form and as an extract in dietary supplements, as part of medicines, for the treatment and prevention of many diseases(especially active in China, Korea, Japan).
Scientists have isolated the polyphenol oligonol from lychee, which rids the body of free radicals. Lychee fruits are beneficial for vision– contain zeaxanthin.
The exotic fruit called lychee is still an unknown fruit for many. You can't buy these fruits everywhere. Unfortunately, their shelf life is limited to only a few days. Canned or dried lychees are considered rare in our country. But once upon a time, bananas were very rare. Perhaps soon lychee will become quite affordable and can be bought in any grocery store. How do they eat lychee and what can be prepared from it? Can it be frozen? You will find answers to these and other questions, as well as recipes for culinary dishes, in this article.
What is lychee fruit
There are many different fruits, berries and vegetables in the world that grow in certain climates. Lychee is a tropical fruit. He loves warmth and sun. That's why it grows in countries with tropical climates. China is considered the birthplace of this fruit. But now it is an economic crop grown for the sale of tasty and aromatic fruits in many countries where there are favorable conditions for its cultivation. There are large plantations in China, Hawaii, Vietnam, Thailand, Israel and many other countries.
How to eat lychee
Ripe lychees have bright, beautiful red (with different shades from light to more saturated) skin, covered with tubercles. At first glance, it is not at all appetizing. But inside, under this skin, lies a very tasty juicy fruit with white or creamy pulp, which is almost 90 percent water. There is one seed inside the pulp.
Lychee pulp contains many nutrients beneficial to the human body. It’s a shame that it has a very limited shelf life even after harvest. This fruit ripens in May-June and immediately after picking it goes on sale or for canning.
Therefore, it is most often eaten fresh. It is added to various salads, cocktails, smoothies, and sauces to highlight the main taste and add aroma. In countries where lychee is considered a native fruit, it is even used as a filling in baked goods.
They make juice and wine from it, dry it like raisins, and freeze it.
After buying lychees and coming home, immediately put the fruits in the refrigerator to minimize the loss of juice during peeling. Before eating the fruit, you need to wash and dry it. Remove the skin. Some people cut it with a knife, while others just bite it. It can be easily removed. Place the peeled fruit in your mouth and eat it like a cherry or plum, spitting out the pit. It is slightly smaller in size than plum, but smoother and rounder.
Lychee use in cooking
Now many people vacation in tropical countries and, first of all, they bring from there, in addition to souvenirs, local fruits, which are still difficult to buy from us. Lychee is one of these exotic fruits. You might be interested in lychee recipes.
Lychee Pie
For the test:
For 500 grams of flour:
1 cup of sugar
150 grams of butter or margarine
0.25 teaspoon baking soda (or baking powder)
4 eggs + 1 egg for greasing
15-20 pieces of lychee
Prepare shortbread dough. For lubrication, you can leave one yolk or white (as you like). Beat the remaining eggs into the dough.
Prepare lychee fruits: wash and peel. There is no need to remove the pit so that less juice leaks out.
Roll the dough into a sausage and cut into small pieces. Place a lychee fruit into each piece and roll into a ball.
Line a baking tray with baking paper or grease with vegetable oil. Arrange the dough balls in the shape of a bunch of grapes (or however you like).
Brush with egg and place in the oven. Bake in an oven preheated to 230-220 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Tasty and original!
Lychee dessert
Lychee – 300-400 grams
For cream:
50 grams butter
50-60 grams of powdered sugar
Lemon juice
Prepare the cream. Separate the whites from the yolks. Beat the yolks with powdered sugar, adding the juice of one lemon (or to taste) and a little lemon zest.
Place the beaten eggs in a water bath and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the cream begins to thicken. The most important thing is not to let the cream boil so that the eggs do not boil.
Beat the whites into a fluffy mass. When the cream has cooled a little, add butter and beat, gradually introducing the whipped whites into it.
Place lychees (fresh or canned) in a mold. Pour the prepared cream on top and place in the oven, heating it to 180 degrees. Bake until a golden brown crust forms on top. This will take 10-15 minutes. Serve dessert hot. 
Ice cream with strawberries and lychees
For 500 grams of strawberries:
250 grams lychee
A small piece of ginger
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon sugar
Prepare strawberries and lychees. Wash the strawberries thoroughly and let the water drain. Peel the lychees and remove the pit.
Puree the fruit. Grate the ginger root on a fine grater or puree in a blender. Add sugar, lemon juice and ginger. Mix everything and put it into a mold and put it in the freezer.
After a couple of hours, remove and stir to break up the frozen ice. Place in the freezer again. Repeat like this, i.e. stir until the mixture is completely frozen.
Before serving, fruit ice cream can be decorated with fresh strawberries and lychee pieces.
Lychee juice
Lychee juice retains all the beneficial elements. How can juice be beneficial for our health and body?
For weight loss. Lychee is rich in dietary fiber, water and substances that give it mild diuretic properties. It contains no fat and is low in calories. Lychee quickly saturates the body, giving a feeling of fullness and repelling the desire to snack.
Increases sexual desire. Regular consumption of lychee juice increases sexual desire.
Anti-cancer properties. Due to the high content of substances with antioxidant properties, drinking juice can reduce the risk of developing tumors. Especially breast cancer.
For the cardiovascular system. All the same antioxidant compounds reduce the risk and serve as good prevention of the cardiovascular system. Polyphenols and vitamin C suppress the formation of bad cholesterol. A satisfactory balance of potassium, sodium and copper promotes the production of red blood cells.
Improves digestion. The juice contains dietary fiber and pectin. All this improves the digestion process, having a beneficial effect on the functioning of the entire gastrointestinal tract.
In cosmetology. The rich content of vitamin-mineral composition and other beneficial substances has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin and hair. Vitamin C, antioxidants are useful for removing pimples and blackheads. Lychee slows down the aging process.
A mask of banana puree with lychee juice can get rid of age spots on the face.
The presence of copper in the composition is beneficial for hair. To strengthen and grow your hair, make this mask. Mix 2 tablespoons of lychee juice and 2 tablespoons of aloe vera. Rub this mixture into your hair follicles for a minute before washing your hair.
A contraindication to drinking lychee juice is the presence of diabetes.
There may be an individual intolerance to this fruit, which can manifest itself as headache, rash and other symptoms.
It is also worth remembering that for us this fruit is exotic and passion for it can do more harm than good. Everything should be in moderation, no matter how tasty the juice is. 
How to choose lychee
Lychee fruits, unlike bananas or avocados and mangoes, are harvested only after they are fully ripe. If you pick lychees unripe, they will be bitter and have an unpleasant taste. This fruit can delight with its taste and aroma only if it is fully ripe.
Unfortunately, not all manufacturers meet these conditions. After all, their shelf life is very limited. Therefore, if you bought fruits that are not tasty with bitterness, then they were not yet ripe.
A ripe fruit should have a bright red peel. Fruits with light pink or yellow skin are picked before they are ripe. You should refuse to buy such fruits. After all, the price for them is high, but you may not get pleasure.
Answers to frequently asked questions
What is the difference between pulp and lychee nut?
Lychee nut - this name refers more to dried lychee fruits. Real nut, i.e. The seed inside the pulp is not edible and cannot be eaten. However, when you can buy dried lychee fruit, it is a good alternative to fresh fruit.
When is the best lychee season?
Lychee ripens in the southern hemisphere during the summer, mainly in May and June. In Australia, the season begins in December-January. On average, the fruit harvesting season lasts a maximum of 6 weeks.
How best to preserve fresh lychee fruits
Lychee is a perishable fruit. After purchasing, you should immediately put them in the refrigerator, placing them in a plastic bag. You need to eat them within 2-3 days. If you need to store longer, it is better to freeze the fruits.
Frozen fruits are also very tasty and can be stored for several months.
How to freeze lychee correctly
Before freezing, the fruits can be peeled, or they can be frozen without peeling. At low temperatures the skin will turn brown, but this will not affect the taste at all. The skin also protects the pulp from loss of moisture. Frozen lychees without skin are similar to sorbet ice cream.
Can you eat lychees if you have diabetes?
Like all people, people with diabetes should eat fruit every day. Such people should not eat lychees in large quantities. They still contain sugars. You can prepare a fruit salad with permitted fruits, including lychee.
Some fruits have a small seed, while others have larger ones. Is this normal?
The size of the fruit depends on the variety. The larger the fruit, the larger the seed inside. But more pulp. It is normal that some fruits will vary in pit size.
Why do some fruits have stems?
Lychees grow in the form of a cluster. And they are also removed from the tree in bunches. Then they are already separated from it. Some fruits do not separate freely. And if the stem is torn off, this can lead to damage to the skin and loss of juice from the pulp. Accordingly, the spoilage of fruits will be accelerated.
How many lychees can you eat at one time?
The advice on this issue is very different. Some recommend no more than 10-12 fruits. It should be taken into account that this fruit is not familiar to us like apples or pears and is sold very rarely.
Secondly, our body can react differently to a large number of eaten fruits. Again due to exoticism. The best advisor is your own body. But you still shouldn’t get carried away. As a side effect of eating large quantities of fruits, diarrhea can occur.
In what climatic conditions does lychee grow?
The lychee tree does not tolerate frost. It can only tolerate temperatures below 0 for a few hours. For it to bear fruit, only 40 hours of low temperature is enough. The rest of the time they need sun.
Is it possible to grow lychees at home?
Yes, you can. Having brought or purchased the fruit, the seed must be washed with water and planted in the ground. Whether it will bear fruit or not is a more difficult question to answer. Many hobbyists successfully grow these exotic fruits at home. But not everyone succeeds.
Contraindications and precautions
People with diabetes should limit their consumption of lychee as this fruit is considered to have high sugar levels. They are allowed to eat no more than 5-6 pieces of fruit per day.
Lychee may also cause an allergic reaction in particularly sensitive people.
Excessive consumption of these fruits can cause diarrhea and gastrointestinal upset. According to Chinese doctors, there may also be hypoglycemia, i.e. decreased blood pressure, fever and loss of consciousness.
Lychee tea may increase symptoms of some autoimmune diseases.
You should not eat lychee 2 weeks before a planned operation.
Fortunately, most of the side effects do not affect us yet. Still, it is not so often that you can find lychee fruits on the shelves of our stores.
Recipe for chicken breast in spicy coconut marinade with pineapple and lychee
Lychee (lat. Litchi chinensis- Chinese plum) is a small sweet and sour berry covered with a crusty skin. The fruit grows on evergreen tropical trees, the height of which reaches 10-30 meters. The birthplace of the berry is China.
Lychee has an oval or round shape with a diameter of 2.5-4 cm. The ripe fruit has a dense red skin with a large number of sharp tubercles. Only the pulp of the fruit is used for food, which has a jelly-like structure, and in color and taste resembles peeled white grapes. Inside the pulp there is an oval brown seed. The main lychee harvest occurs in May-June.
History of appearance and distribution around the world
The first mention of lychee dates back to the 2nd century BC. during the reign of Chinese Emperor Wu Di. At that time, China was divided by the Great Wall of China into two separate states: South and North China. According to one legend, ruler Wu Di tried to introduce the fruit from the south and begin cultivating it in the northern territories, but due to lack of heat, moisture and soil fertility, the plant did not take root. Angry, he ordered the execution of all the court gardeners. Lychees were first brought to European countries in the mid-17th century.
Currently, lychee is grown everywhere throughout the subtropical territory of Southeast Asia, where there are no harsh winters and the climate is quite dry.
Use in cooking
Lychees are used mainly fresh for food. However, desserts (ice cream, jelly, marmalade), preserves, marmalade, and Chinese wine can also be made from the pulp of the berry. You can also find lychees in dried form. At the same time, the peel of the fruit becomes woody, and the dry pulp with the stone rolls freely inside. Lychees in this form are called lychee nut.
Selection and storage
Fresh fruits are very difficult to store and transport over long distances. To keep lychees longer, they are picked in clusters together with a branch and a few leaves. At a temperature of 1-7°C, lychees can be stored for a month, and at room temperature - only 3 days.
When purchasing lychees in a store, you should pay attention to the peel. It should be red, not too soft and without visible damage. The brown color indicates that the lychee is not fresh.
Nutritional value per 100 grams:
Beneficial properties of lychee
Composition and presence of nutrients
Lychee fruits contain a large number of nutrients, including vitamins (, , , group B, PP), minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, sodium, iodine, selenium, manganese), organic acids and pectin substances .
Doctors of oriental medicine use lychee for the treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis, normalization of sugar levels in diabetes, liver, lungs and kidneys. In combination with medicinal herbs and lemongrass, lychees are used to treat cancer and restore strength in the fight against disease. In this case, you should consume at least 10 fruits per day.
Due to the high content of potassium in the pulp of the fruit, it is recommended for use by people with cardiovascular disease, high blood cholesterol and anemia. It is also used to treat the stomach, pancreas, and intestinal dysfunction. In Hindu medicine, lychee is considered an aphrodisiac that enhances sexual desire and male power.
Dangerous properties of lychee
Lychee has no contraindications for use. Only those people who have individual intolerance to the fetus should not eat them. When offering lychee to children, you need to ensure that they do not consume more than 100 g per day. Also, excessive consumption of fruit can cause
They like to scare us with the dominance of Chinese goods and the future dominance of China over the world. Whether to believe such prospects is a personal matter for everyone, but no one can argue with the originality of Chinese cooking. And some are not even averse to surrendering to all the delicacies that abound in the Celestial Empire. For example, a rich assortment of exotic fruits, many of which our compatriots have only seen in photographs. True, I still had a chance to try some tropical delicacies. Among them, lychee is an incredibly aromatic fruit with a delicate taste. But how to eat lychee fruit correctly remains a mystery. If these piquant berries throw you into confusion, then now you will learn everything about how to eat lychee fruit and whether it is worth embarking on such gastronomic experiments at all.
What are lychees? Composition and benefits of lychee fruitThe people of China have long had a deep respect for dragons, and it’s hard not to notice. They call the bizarre pitahaya dragon fruit, and the miniature lychee fruits are nicknamed “dragon eyes.” If you don't want the dragon to look directly into your mouth, you can use the second name of the lychee fruit - Chinese plum. Moreover, these fruits have a refreshing sweet and sour taste and delicate pulp in common with plums. Although lychee, of course, is much softer and more vulnerable than most known fruits. If it were not for the hard, shell-like skin, the lychee pulp would not withstand either storage or transportation. And this is one of the reasons why lychee fruit is eaten fresh, without any processing.
This approach preserves not only the visual appeal, but also the chemical composition of lychee. And there is something to save. Indeed, despite its small size, each lychee fruit is, without exaggeration, a vitamin bomb. If you manage to taste a fresh, not canned or dried fruit, then your body will receive along with it:
- vitamin C – 9 lychee fruits contain the daily requirement for an adult;
- B vitamins are the most important “building blocks” of the nervous system and all metabolic processes;
- vitamin PP, or nicotinic acid, is one of the leaders for the prevention of atherosclerosis;
- minerals - potassium, magnesium, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, fluorine, zinc, copper, selenium;
- polyphenols are substances of plant origin that protect the myocardium and prevent cardiovascular diseases.
How to eat lychees according to the rules?
Removing the pit is an important, but far from the only rule for serving and eating lychee. But only following them will allow you to fully enjoy the piquant taste and unique aroma of lychee and not be branded as a hillbilly who does not know how to handle exotic fruits. Although there is nothing complicated here - just follow our instructions: 
After reading all these requirements, you may have a natural question: is it worth going to such trouble just to eat lychees? Definitely worth it! And not only because of all the beneficial properties and rich chemical composition described above. In addition to them, lychee has amazing abilities to increase potency, get rid of excess weight, activate metabolism and improve digestion. It is no coincidence that in its homeland, China, this fruit is served after heavy spicy meat dishes as a natural source of enzymes. And when consumed independently, lychee in any quantity does not cause a feeling of heaviness in the stomach - unless, of course, you are allergic to it.
How else can you eat lychees?
Fresh fruit is not only a delicacy, but in some cases an unaffordable luxury. Therefore, in order to export lychees to the northern regions of China and other countries, the peeled fruits are preserved in sweet syrup. You can find this lychee compote in any supermarket. It’s easy to eat: it’s a delicious drink with pulp, a topping for ice cream and desserts, a filling for baked goods and sweet casseroles. Like canned pineapples, lychees in syrup are available all year round and are therefore in great demand as an unusual alternative to other, rather boring, fruits. 
If you do not preserve lychees in time, they can lie in a cool, ventilated room for about two weeks, after which the peel will gradually darken and the pulp will lose its sweetness and aroma. Therefore, enterprising Chinese farmers dry lychees to the point where the pulp inside shrinks and rolls between the walls of the hardened peel along with the pit. These dried fruits even received a separate name: lychee nuts. In addition to them, in China they produce wine, liqueur and sauce from lychee. And in any form, this fruit tones, cleanses the blood and liver, and normalizes blood pressure.
How to eat lychees as part of dishes? Lychee Recipes
A natural aphrodisiac and sweet panacea, lychee fruit is not only healthy, but also very tasty. If it were not for its rarity, one could easily put it in pies and charlottes, turn it into jelly and jam. But for us, unlike the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom, lychee is still a scarce and expensive exotic, which is why dishes made from it are, as a rule, gourmet delicacies and desserts. Here are some successful recipes for lychee dishes:
- Lychee salad in pineapple. One large serving of this salad can be shared between two or enjoyed alone, extending the pleasure for a long time. To prepare, take 1 medium-sized or larger pineapple and cut it crosswise at about 1/3 of the way up. After removing the resulting “cap,” carefully remove the pulp from the middle so as not to damage the peel. Cut the pineapple pulp into small equal cubes and set aside. After that, take 100 grams of lychee and fresh strawberries. Peel the lychees from the skin and seeds, and the strawberries from the tails. Cut both lychees and strawberries into pieces similar in size to pineapple cubes. Place all the chopped fruits in a salad bowl and mix gently. Pour over a mixture of 3 tablespoons of any fruit juice (apple, orange, grape, etc.) and 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar. Place the fruit salad in an empty pineapple peel, sprinkle with shredded coconut and garnish to your liking with orange slices, decorative umbrellas and other cocktail garnishes.
- Lychee and sake soufflé. Prepare the ingredients for this complex dessert in advance: approximately 150 grams of lychee, 1 ripe mango, 1 vanilla pod (can be replaced with vanilla essence or vanilla), 1 egg, 50 ml each of sake and heavy cream, 30 grams of dried figs, liquid honey and sugar syrup and 10 grams of instant gelatin (in plates or powder). Soak the gelatin in 60 ml of warm water and leave to dissolve. Meanwhile, beat the cream in one bowl and the egg whites and sugar syrup in another. Peel the lychees, remove the seeds, and make a homogeneous puree from the pulp. Mix this puree with whipped egg white and gelatin, which by this time has completely dissolved in water. Add whipped cream while stirring. Place the resulting mass in the refrigerator. Pour the sake equally into two cups. Place diced figs in one cup of sake and vanilla in the other. Heat sake and vanilla in the microwave until boiling, then cool, strain and stir in honey. Place in the refrigerator. Peel the manco, remove the pit and chop the pulp. Place the cooled fruit mixture on a beautiful plate, followed by pieces of mango and figs marinated in sake. Just before serving, drizzle with sake and honey syrup.
- Lychee sorbet ice cream. Puree 1 half-liter jar of canned lychee (pulp only, no syrup) and 1 kg of fresh strawberries in a blender. Add 4 tablespoons of sugar, 50 grams of grated ginger root and freshly squeezed juice of two limes to the syrup from the jar. Bring to a boil, simmer over low heat for 7-10 minutes. Mix with fruit puree and cool at room temperature. After this, put the mixture in the freezer and stir thoroughly every one and a half to two hours until ready to form uniform crumbs.