FoodFood InformationFruitTropical
Lychees, which are also known as Iychee nuts, are of Chinese origin and
are highly prized throughout the Far East. About the size of a golf ball,
the Iychee has a rough, parchment like skin that is strawberry colored when
first picked and then fades to a dusty pink. Beneath this easily peeled
inedible skin is a round hard nut, also inedible, which is covered
with a thin layer of light green flesh that is similar in flavor to a muscatel
grape. The entire edible portion of the Iychee is at most equal to two or
three grapes. This minimum of edible yield when combined with the usually
costly price tag makes the Iychee one of our most expensive fruits. Serve
it as a raw fruit.
Lychees are grown in Florida on a limited scale and the crop is usually
shipped to large urban areas with sizable Asian populations.
Dried Iychees, which taste like raisins, are available twelve months of
the year. Both the fresh and the dried Iychees are popular Oriental gifts.
The combination of a limited supply and great demand in Oriental neighborhoods
makes it highly unlikely that you will find Iychees in the average supermarket.
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