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Appearance & Taste
The Lychee fruit is normally about 1½ to 2 inches in size and has a distinct oval, heart shape. The skin is bumpy and bright reddish-pink in colour, whilst under this, lies the juicy flesh of a lychee fruit, which is white translucent and glossy. It is this pulp that is eaten.
Lychees have luscious sweet taste with an amazing fragrance, which gives a wonderful freshness that is hard to describe.
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Where It Comes From
It originated in South China, where the Lychee is famed as "the King of Fruits" due to the importance held within the Chinese culture. However this fruit has spread and is now grown in other countries, such as Southeast Asia, Philippines, Australia, Israel, South Africa, Florida, and Hawaii to name a few.
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Health Benefits
Lychees are a very good source for Vitamin C. Three lychee fruits would meet a third of an adult’s daily vitamin C requirement. They are also a good source of riboflavin, potassium and copper.
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Uses
Apart from being consumed fresh, lychees are:
- Used as a traditional desert with Chinese cuisine. These can be fresh or toffee lychees served with Vanilla Ice cream.
- used to make ice cream
- Used to make candies
- Used to make juices
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Fruit Facts
- The Chinese consider the Lychee a symbol of romance and love due to its colour and shape resembling a heart
- The Lychee originated over 2000 years ago. It was first found in the north tropical rainforests and mountain forests of Southern China, where it is a dominant tree species. In fact, there are still villages in Southern China today which have lychee trees older than 1000 years.
- Lychee trees are hardwoods that can grow 20 to 40 feet tall and are a beautiful sight
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How to prepare to eat
- Peel the skin back to reveal the juicy white pulp.
- Pop the juicy white pulp into your mouth and eat around the seed.
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