From around mid-December, you can see an unusual red fruit called lychee in stores. It beckons with its appearance an inexperienced buyer, but many are afraid to take it, not knowing what it is and how to choose it, and choosing it is easier than it seems.
What is lychee?
The fruit of the lychee fruit tree is grown mainly in China, from which this fruit has another name - Chinese plum. But it is also grown on the island of Madagascar, Vietnam and Thailand. Externally, the lychee fruit is red, its rind is covered with small tubercles. From a botanical point of view, lychee is more a berry than a fruit, but in appearance it looks more like the latter. The size of the lychee fruit is small, about 3-4 cm, and the weight is 25-30 grams. White flesh is hidden under a thin peel, and a bone is inside the flesh.
Lychee pulp tastes sweet, but fruits with a slightly sour taste can also come across, depending on the time of collection. As a rule, lychee fruits from Vietnam, Thailand and Madagascar are imported into Russian stores. They have a long way to go before they get to the counter. Lychees are harvested in an unripe form, but the fruits have time to ripen on the way.
How to choose a ripe lychee fruit?
To buy this fruit, you should go to the stores of well-known Russian retailers, it is there that the price for them will not be high.
- The first thing to look out for is the color of the fruit. A very light peel will tell you that the lychee is not ripe, and a maroon one that it is overripe. Ripe fruit should be pink to red in color.
- Then you need to inspect the fetus for mechanical damage and foreign stains. If there are any, you should not take the fruit.
- Pay attention to the place where the fruit is attached to the branch, it must be dry.
- You need to sniff the fruit. Ripe lychee depletes the smell reminiscent of a rose, there should be no extraneous and chemical odors.
- You can also shake the fruit. If you feel that the pulp is dangling inside, then this is a good sign. And if this is not observed, then there is a possibility that the fruit has rotted.
How to use?
Everything is quite simple here. You need to peel the fruit. Edible white transparent flesh, inedible bone. The rind can be dried and added to the tea to add flavor. In the homeland of lychee, various sauces are also prepared from it, it is canned, and the bones are used in folk medicine. You should not eat more than 7 fruits a day, as the substances they contain have an irritating effect on the mucous membranes. Children under 3 years old should not eat lychee, and at an older age, no more than 3 pieces can be used. Lychee fruits are rich in beneficial trace elements and also contain a natural antioxidant.
