Buzz
Lychees are covered in a delicate, textured red skin that shields the succulent fruit within. Image credit: Jenny Dettrick/Getty ImagesWith its delightful sweetness and numerous health advantages, lychee (pronounced lai-chee) remains a highly underestimated fruit. Often referred to as the Chinese cherry, lychee is a small, golf-ball-sized fruit native to Southeast Asia. Its appearance is similar to a larger raspberry, its flavor a mix of grapes and pears, and it offers surprising health benefits — something it has been known for centuries.
Lychee's origins trace back to at least 1059 B.C.E, with references and illustrations of the fruit found in early Chinese texts. Various lychee varieties are even named after famous Chinese families. The fruit is native to the lowlands of southern China, with its cultivation spreading to Southeast Asia, Burma (now Myanmar), and India. Today, lychee is grown in areas like southern California, Florida, and Hawaii, making this tropical fruit more accessible worldwide.
Even though lychees are available, they aren’t commonly purchased. Ruixi Hu, founder of Lost Plate Food Tours, which operates tours in Asia and the U.S., mentions that her food-tour guests rarely encounter the fruit. "People have heard of lychee but haven't seen it or don’t recognize what it looks like," she explains in an email. "Guests have pointed at it and asked what it is, and when I tell them it's lychee, they seem surprised. So, people know the name or the flavor but haven’t actually seen the fruit before."
You can tell when lychees are ripe by how easily the skin peels away from the flesh. Image credit: huayang/Getty ImagesWhat Exactly Is Lychee?
Lychees are a tropical fruit that grows on soapberry evergreen trees, mostly around the equator. According to Hu, they’re especially popular in Southeast Asia, in countries like Thailand and Cambodia, as well as southern China. They grow in clusters similar to mulberries, although lychees are much larger, typically measuring 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5 to 3.8 cm) in diameter, compared to the small size of mulberries.
The lychee's delicate, bumpy red skin shields the juicy, flavorful flesh inside. The texture of the flesh resembles that of a grape, while the experience of eating it is similar to that of a cherry: Bite into it, savor the taste, and spit out the pit before swallowing. Unlike cherries and grapes, lychees require peeling. A ripe lychee will have skin that easily separates from the flesh. The Produce for Better Health Foundation suggests choosing lychees with vibrant red shells and notes that brown patches are typically associated with sweeter fruit.
While lychees are delicious, caution is necessary: under certain conditions, they can be harmful. In 2019, numerous children in the northern Indian state of Bihar tragically died from a brain disease linked to lychee toxins. CNN reported that these toxins can lead to acute encephalitis syndrome, which causes inflammation of the brain.
The Bihar state health department attributed these deaths to low blood sugar levels, but Sanjay Kumar, a senior health official, told CNN that the affected children "come from poor families, who lack sugar reserves and suffer from malnutrition. The liver stores glycogen, and when blood sugar drops, the liver releases extra sugar to balance it. But when there’s no extra sugar, and only toxins, they get released into the system," he explained.
How to Enjoy Lychee
The simplest, and arguably best, way to enjoy lychees is to eat them fresh. "We typically eat them on their own," says Hu. "They're incredibly juicy, sweet, and have a distinctive flavor unlike any other fruit. To me, they just taste fresh." To preserve this freshness, it's best not to peel the lychees until right before serving.
Raw isn’t the only way to savor these flavorful fruits. You can create lychee jam, juice, or sauce; with its fragrant taste, the fruit makes a perfect sweet-sauce addition to both meat and fish dishes. Lychee also works wonderfully in beverages like milkshakes, martinis, and smoothies. These fruits are available at most major grocery stores or online, where you can find them fresh, canned, or dried — or in all three forms.
Lychees grow on soapberry evergreen trees found in tropical areas near the equator. Some of these trees have been around for over 1,000 years. Image credit: enviromantic/Getty ImagesVitamins and Minerals Galore
A single cup of fresh lychees contains just over 120 calories and provides more than 100 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C — a benefit that helps keep skin healthy and boosts the body’s immune system. Lychees are also rich in potassium, which aids in reducing high blood pressure. For an extra mineral boost, swapping fresh lychees for dried ones can double the amount of minerals like potassium.
There’s one thing to be cautious about with lychees: sugar content. A cup of fresh or raw lychees contains 28 grams of natural sugar, while dried lychees pack even more — 63 grams of sugar per half-cup. For this reason, nutritionists advise those with diabetes or those on calorie-restricted diets to steer clear of dried lychees and enjoy the fresh fruit in moderation.
Lychee trees aren’t just resilient — they often outlive the people who harvest their fruit. As reported by Macao Magazine, some lychee trees in southern China have been thriving for over 1,000 years!
