How to eat a lychee?

[Togath]

So I've ended up with about a pound and a half of lychees...
Not... quite sure how tot ell if they're ripe or how to eat them. I peeled one, and it was a little like peeling a boiled egg to unveil a delicious smelling [thing] that looked like raw squid, and tasted of astringency and lychee. I did remove the seed, but some odd brown firm thing was left in the center which had surrounded it previously.

[Knaight]

You peel it, you eat it, and it leaves a pretty huge seed in the middle. As for how to tell it's done, if the outside is a deep red then it's probably fine*.

*Although I vaguely remember you being in the US, and lychee is one of those fruits that just doesn't travel well. It's all pretty low end here.

[Togath]

The lychees are red/brown/green. But I read somewhere that just means they were refrigerated?

[Haruki-kun]

They're supposed to be red, for the most, green (AFAIK, anyway) means they're not quite ripe. Brown would mean they're a bit too ripe, if I'm not mistaken.

[Togath]

Hmm... could I use the flavor as a clue? It tasted sort of... like, dry almost. Like grape peels do.

[Winter_Wolf]

Might have just been a bad one. They're basically really sweet when they're ripe.
But you've got it down: peel the outside, eat the white part, discard the seed. They're going to be mostly red if they're ripe. Just try a few more, I'm sure you got a bad one; they're not really a dry fruit.

[Togath]

More, dry, like, it feels dry despite a bunch of juice. A sort of odd clings-to-your-teeth feel.

[Serpentine]

Yeah, that's about how lychees feel. Kind of like firm, slightly rubbery grape texture.

[Togath]

More less mass than a grape. Like a thin membrane full of fluid rather than anything with fiber.

[Knaight]

More less mass than a grape. Like a thin membrane full of fluid rather than anything with fiber.

That's an indication of a questionable lychee there - fresh of the tree they're a bit thicker than grapes. It's a pretty noticeable texture, provided you didn't slip up regarding the swarm of ants that are inevitably crawling along that tree and thus end up distracted from all the biting.

[Togath]

So not like a pouch full of juice?(like... you know the tiny juice sacs within the segments of an orange? Like that but a ton bigger)

[Winter_Wolf]

So not like a pouch full of juice?(like... you know the tiny juice sacs within the segments of an orange? Like that but a ton bigger)

Nooo. Nothing like oranges. I hesitate to use the word "meaty", but it's a pretty robust kind of fruit. Firm grape is the closest consistency I can think of. Maybe a mango a (very slightly) on the underripe side. Juicy but with body? Man words are failing me.

[Togath]

Sounds... like the ones I have are VERY odd then.
They're basically white and brown sacks of juice with no texture.

[joggler45]

All I know the dark red ones are the best ripe with small amount of juice.

[Winter_Wolf]

Sounds... like the ones I have are VERY odd then.
They're basically white and brown sacks of juice with no texture.

That ain't right. They're not canned, are they? 'Cause there's such a thing as canned lychee but I don't think I'd be keen on it.

[Togath]

"Fresh"... or at least, uncanned. The inner structure is also fascinating, like some sort of tightly coiled flower? With sort of "petals" wrapped around the inner seed.
Also, two peels?(the spikes, and then a soft skin, and then the membrane containing the juices)

[Winter_Wolf]

You know, I might just need a picture. I mean an actual pic of what is in your possession. I'm just not wrapping my mind around what you're describing with what I know of lychees.

[Fri]

...yeah, that's not how I'd describe lychee at all as well. Can you show us the pic of what alien egg you've been eating ?

'Cause there's such a thing as canned lychee but I don't think I'd be keen on it.

Canned lychee is nice. It's more commonly eaten here than fresh ones. Canned fruit/vegetables got unfair reputation, they can be more nutritious/taste better than unfresh fruit/vegetables shipped from thousands of miles away. Though obviously it depends on the fruit and preparation (caning fruit on syrup obviously add lots of sugar on it, etc)

[Serpentine]

Uh... This is what a lychee should look like:



The dark seed is smooth and slick. There's often a sort of thin crisp "shell" or membrane between the seed and the flesh. And then the flesh is sweet, perfumed and with the texture sort of like a firm grape, with a membrane around the outside that IIRC is quite dry unless you pierce it, which usually happens pretty quick. Then a thin... sort of crispy sort of skin, hard to describe the texture of it, that you peel off.

Then there's the rambutan, which is very similar:



edit: TIL you can eat rambutan seeds (after cooking) but not lychee.

[Jackalias]

I'd suggest using your mouth but some of my friends say good things about the nostrils.

[javurek]

I always peel all of those that i'm going to eat. Than I just put one in my mount and chew it until only the big middle seed is left. And put the seed out. done

[Corsair14]

I have 4 trees of the things. Best is when red, unfortunately the animals know this too despite not being a native fruit. I am lucky to get a few every year off one of the trees. It is a very cool fruit and one of my favorites. I have had them from the produce sections of Asian markets. Typically the refrigeration turns the bright red into a dullish grey/brown color. They still tasted pretty good, although obviously like most fruit, they taste 100x better fresh from the tree. That's why so many people don't like mangos who have never had fresh mango. If its green its not ready. Most even commercial mangos need to be red/orange mostly depending on the variety(of which there are hundreds if not thousands). Also most commercial mangos are crappy varieties like Tommy Atkins or Kent. Lychees are an exception, because from what I have tried from the store, the commercial variety is actually pretty good. Sweetheart is grown here in the States at commercial levels. I have two trees myself and its a good tree.

Lychee is one of those once you try them, you want to keep trying them type fruits. I rarely pass up an opportunity to pick some up when I come across them. Simply crack the shell, peel it and eat the whole thing and spit out the seed.

[goto124]

Best is when red, unfortunately the animals know this too despite not being a native fruit.

I now want to watch a non-native (relative to the lychee) animal eating a lychee. What sort of animals usually come in to snatch lychees?

I found a parrot peeling and eating a lychee, no idea if it's good for the parrot.

[Corsair14]

I assume the usual suspects, Squirrels, raccoons and opossums. I had one of these take out a pineapple I have been growing for a while. Very frustrating as it takes several years to get them to fruit and a year for one to grow and ripen. Grrr. Deer take out my citrus, mulberry, and loquats quite a bit too.