Yesterday marked another first for me in the food department.
I tried the Lychee fruit!
Covered by a leathery rind or pedicarp which is pink to strawberry-red in color and rough in texture. A greenish-yellow variety is not grown in California at present. Fruit shape is oval, heart-shaped or nearly round, 1 to 1-1/2 inches in length. The edible portion or aril is white, translucent, firm and juicy. The flavor is sweet, fragrant and delicious. Inside the aril is a seed that varies considerably in size. The most desirable varieties contain atrophied seeds which are called "chicken tongue". They are very small, up to 1/2 inch in length. Larger seeds vary between 1/2 to 1 inch in length and are plumper than the chicken tongues. There is also a distinction between the lychee that leaks juice when the skin is broken and the "dry and clean" varieties which are more desirable.
Let’s zoom in…so you will see where I am coming from…
Pardon my language but…W…T…F!
I opened it up and exclaimed to Eric, ‘Oh my God, it looks like BRAIN!!’
It was squishy, translucent, and rubbery feeling. Just like a brain!
I took a deep breath and tasted it. It was so disturbing biting into this fruit let me tell you, and I am usually not one who is bothered by any textures at all!
I was disappointed in the taste though. It was a bit ‘off’ tasting and left a weird after taste. I am wondering if this is because I had the yellow variety and not the deep pink? I will have to keep my eyes peeled for the pink variety and try those.
So what should I do with the 4 that remain? A martini? Throw it in my green montser? :)
Trying new foods is fun though! I never knew what the inside of this fruit looked like!
Have you ever tried a lychee fruit?
~~~~~
We picked up some groceries yesterday since today is a holiday and the stores are closed.
I also picked up another new fruit- a yellow fig! I have never had a fig before (unless fig cookies count?) so this will be interesting too! :)
More organic kale because it looked fresh! :)
- 2 bags of red peppers (on 2 for $5!) Not organic though…
- 3 zucchinis (more boats!)
- 2 English cukes
- few organic apples
- organic tomatoes
- organic spinach
- organic free-trade coffee (for some new glo bars!)
- ripe bananas
- Country Harvest Flax bread (For Eric to make his lunch’s with)
- Nature’s Path Flax Plus (I think I should buy some stocks in NP!)
- 3 sweet potatoes (can’t wait to make more fries and NOT burn them this time!)
Eric got a pineapple and chopped it up. He saved the core for me and I have been putting it in my green monsters so we don’t have to throw it out. It’s kinda of nice because it isn’t sickly sweet, but still gives the GM some nice pineapple flavour!
Two new natural beauty products to review for Project Natural Glow!! They were both on sale. :)
Thank you for all of your helpful comments on my Project Natural Glow post!!! SO much great information! I have so many new product lines to check out.
In tonight’s post I will be outlining Project Natural Glow and I will be talking about these products in much more detail.
Sketchie says, ‘Have one crazy civic day!’
I’m back to the kitchen to bake, bake, bake!
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{ 60 comments… read them below or add one }
ha! that lychee looks so weird. i have never tried them before.
grocery shopping is definitely on my to-do list today. enjoy your holiday!
I had lychee in Hawaii on our honeymoon – yum! It’s really good in martinis!
i love lychee. when it’s green/yellowish that means it’s not ripe yet. you should only buy the pinkish ones. they’re usually very juicy and sweet.
Yes! I love lychee martinis! I recommend buying them canned. They taste much better that way. :) Love Alba products. I use Kiss My Face toothpaste – very good.
I have never had – or seen – a lychee fruit! Looks a little interesting…but I am definitely intrigued….
Have not tried a lychee fruit! looks so weird! Let us know if/when you try the pink variety!
I’ve seen the lychee fruit at buffets that i’ve been to before, without the skin.. they look so funny sitting in a huge bowl with 200 of them around. Definitely like brains.
The stores are open here! I was just out shopping :)
I’ve only ever had lychees in a martini! :)
Your veggies look great. I moved from Canada to Florida last year and I’m shocked at how much veg here comes from Canada! The cukes and sweet peppers are always from BC or Ontario hot houses. So strange!
OMG – i had the exact same reaction to lychees! I can usually stomach any fruit – but those were just WRONG!
Go the martini route – I dont’ think they are good for anythign else!
Lychee are amazing! They are treasured here in South Florida where they can be cultivated and only fruit for about a month or two in early summer. They are yum-o! I just tried a similar fruit, longan, which isn’t as sweet as a lychee.
You should try ’em again! ;)
I LOVE lychees! But I have had some that were not so great, I would look out for the pink ones. With these – definitely make a martini. I’m usually a wine drinker, but lychee martinis always catch my attention.
I’ve always been kind of weirded out by lychees, too! My friend from Miami introduced me to them, and he said the “proper” way to eat them is to soak the peeled lychees in a bowl of ice water and eat them straight out of the bowl. He said it improves/enhances the flavor somehow? I’m not really sure how that might work, but I ate them that way and they weren’t bad!
Lychees taste kind of like grapes . . . but I definitely like grapes way better!
Sketchie looks so adorable! I definitely think you got a bad lychee – good ones taste almost like those red cherries that come in fruit cocktail. You can redeem the greenish ones by using them in something very sweet (the ones in martinis usually come out of a can of sugary syrup).
Good choice on the Alba shower gel – I just finished a huge bottle of that same scent! I’ve found that olive oil soaps can leave a lot of icky residue in the shower, so be on the lookout.
I actually have tried one at a friend’s house, but it didn’t really look like that. I thought it was good, though!
I’m not sure where you would even get a lychee fruit, nevermind how to eat it!
I’ve been curious to experiment with figs as well. Let us know how it goes!
i’ve seen that kiss my face stuff before and have been wondering about it. i can’t wait to read your thoughts on it.
have fun baking! that lychee does look strange :)
They always have lychee at the frozen yogurt place that I go to as a topping… it looks too weird to try! haha… glad to know I’m not missing out on anything :)
I definitely think the Lychee fruit has potential…I agree that mine probably wasn’t ripe as it was a bit bitter! I’m not writing it out of my books just yet!
~A
I grew up in Hawaii, and I had a lychee and mango trees in my yard *nomnomnom* :) Lychee sorbet is soooo good!!
I grew up eating lychees. They taste really good in ice cream as well as in cakes.
Weird! I have a yogurt that incorporates the flavour sitting in my fridge, but i havent seen the actual fruit anywhere.
Cute pic of sketchie! I can’t wait to read the reviews … i keep seeing the alba brand at whole foods so im curious about it. I have abba shampoo, and i keep getting the two brands confused, lol. but both organic. *shrug*
cool tip about pineapple core in the GM! Must try that next time i get fresh pineapple!
-muffy
I’ve only had lychees dried or as juice. They were super sweet dried. I liked them but could only eat a few. I hope you find a good use for them!
Lychees are BIZARRE. The first time I ate one I opened it up and said “It’s an alien egg!!! wuddufffuuuh???”
Haha.. and it was definitely strange in both texture and taste. I don’t know if I would buy them again. I purchased a container from Trader Joe’s and let my coworkers eat them all. Ha.
That lychee looks like some kind of sea creature. I’ve only ever had the canned variety, it’s a bit unnerving looking at it in the raw like that. LoL. Very cute pic of Sketchie! Happy baking!
I once had to disect a sheep’s brain, ever since I cannot eat cottage cheese, the brain felt and resembled cottage cheese.
Also lychees look dodgy but are gorgeous and sweet, I’ve never actually noticed they look strange, oops. Also figs rock although some do find the texture slightly strange.
You cat is so cute and adorable.
I spent a summer in China and ate lychees quite a few times. they’re one of the few things safe to buy off the street and eat because of their shell. They tasted great to me, but maybe that was because of the fun experience :)
i’ve been eating lychee since i was a wee tot – they are almost an acquired taste even though they are like water – like cucumbers! try them again…. i love the texture becauwse they are juicy. think of a cherry – if it was white you’d think it was brain like too!
try them again… i was a little shocked at your description cuz i have always loved them (but definitely took a bit of time to get used to it) and now i crave them!
i ate lychee ALL THE TIME while teaching abroad in thailand…my guess is maybe the fresh stuff tastes better than the stuff shipped halfway around the world? don’t know…maybe give it another shot? it’s YUMMY!
That lychee fruit looks like a tongue to me. It just looks gross…I’m not sure I could eat it either. But I LOVE the Sketchie pic!
I am NOT a fan of lychee, I have serious texture issues with it. I suggest a martini or green monster it, or you could try blending and freezing with the banana soft serve.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE lychee fruit. I used to eat them all the time when I lived in Europe. The one’s in North America are ok, not as delicious as the one’s I used to eat when I was younger. Honestly, I have never tried doing anything with Lychee except eating them raw lol. I don’t think you would really taste lychee if you put it in a GM.
haha i grew up with a lychee tree outside my bedroom window in Miami. never was a fan of them though!
my dad works in agriculture and one of his growers has a lychee tree so he brought me some branches. i had never had them before but they were awesome! i loved them! i keep asking for more but he’s runnin low =/ lol but they were deeeeelish!
I love Lychee fruit!
Thanks for showing what lychee is all about! I always pass it at the grocery store, consider, then chicken out :P I’d love to try fresh fig though, I love dried ones.
Definitely an odd fruit! I’ve never even heard of it before. It actually reminds me of a tulip haha! ;)
I totally vote for adding it to a green smoothie… maybe try freezing them beforehand too.
Great grocery load! I’ve never tried a fig either, so I’m excited to hear what you think.
xxoo
Heather
I grew up eating lychee so I never thought of it being a weird taste. Funny how that works. Maybe the one you got wasn’t sweet enough? You’ll have to give it another shot. Try the pink kind!
not for nothing but I’m not sure who I’m crushing on more – you, your blog, your food ideas, your husband, your cat – hee hee.. I will figure out how to upload a pic so you know who is stalking you, lol. You are inspiring me – Big Time! Thank you Thank You Thank You ~ =) I’ve been dieting and all but I’m so driven by your food ideas to step up the healthy eating not only for myself but for my children ~
Lychees are one of my favorite fruits, next to mangoes. If you like tropical fruits like pineapples, papaya, mangoes, then lychees should be up your alley too.
I’m sorry about your lychee experience! It must have been a bad one. Ripe lychees are SO SO yummy, so I hope you give them another chance!
And LOL I’ve NEVER thought lychees looked like brain. hahahha. I usually thought they looked like huge white pearls, but I guess the ones I had were just smoother looking without bumps. Also, unfortunately, I’d be hesitant to eat them anywhere in North America. I can’t imagine them being ripe or good. They grow best in places like Thailand, Hong Kong .. hot tropical areas in Asia.
Oh yeah, also I think lychee sorbet would taste amazing. If you ever get some ripe/sweet ones, try freezing/blending them?
One more thing – sorry to keep commenting! I’ve had AMAZING lychee jellos before in Tokyo. LOL. They were the non-gelatin kind of jello too — made of konyaku instead. I have no idea how to MAKE that though, so this is kind of a useless suggestion!
Seriously, that thing does look like a brain! You are braver than me because I wouldn’t have eaten it. :)
Very smart use of the pineapple core. Way not to waste stuff!
Sketchie is hilarious! :)
Whoa..I have never seen/heard of that fruit before! How weird is that?!? I agree with you though…I love trying new foods!!
I’ve never had the yellow kind…but as a Filipina I can vouch for the fact that lychee is delicious!!
I’ve only had pink. . . very tasty.
My mother swears by Kiss My Face products. She likes their olive oil based washes and moisturizers. I find them hard to find, though.
The pictured yellow lychee above are actually not ripe. the deep red are ripe and usually has a bit more sweetness to them. I personally love lychee, as it brings back a lot of childhood memories.
Sorry for the double post, but I just read AGS comment and I must must agree! I LOVE Kiss My Face!! I’m currently using their sunscreen which is also all natural ingredient! Ah… so exciting, I don’t know why.
Thien An from delightinmoderation.blogspot.com
Somehow I think those Lychees don’t look as fresh and plump as the ones I’ve had (which are tastier). Best bet is to probably buy them at an Asian market where a lot of people buy them so they replenish the stock. I have to admit, they are a little odd tasting at times. It’s either all or nothing with Lychees
I just had Lychee at a WONDERFUL Japanese Restaurant. They serve them with dessert, sitting around the ice cream. They tasted SO AMAZING, I mostly ate the Lychee and a LITTLE of the ice cream :) They were smooth, opaque, and DELICIOUS! (Don’t know what color the outside skin was bc they came out ready to be eaten)
Lychees should be deep red or depend on their varieties
they should be really sweet and juicy
for the best lychees, you should go and find them in asian grocery stores
OMG, your cat looks freaky and haunted!
Other than that, looks healthy and yummy!
I LOVE lychee, but I think it’s something that grows on you? It’s fab in Martinis if you don’t like it “as is”, or put in in a fruit salad (or just with some strawberries).
Btw – you have such a cute cat! And extremely pretty, too!
I love lychees and have eaten them since I was a kid. I’ve always thought they were more like eyeballs than brains – just like peeled grapes. They’re good fresh when in season, but I also like them tinned the rest of the year. I can eat a whole tin in a sitting. A lot of Chinese restaurants here (Australia) also serve them with ice cream for dessert.
Since this is my first time commenting, I just wanted to let you that I really enjoy reading your blog. Thank you for posting so frequently :-).
I have never tried that fruit but it looks kinda scary, haha. I may have to keep an eye out for it though, sometimes things that look gross end up being my favorites ;-)
I’ve never tried a lychee and after the photo of the one you opened I probably never will. You were very brave to try it.
[email protected] you comparing lychee fruit to a brain… hahaha
I think maybe you got a bad one :( they’re normally quite sweet!
I tend to have them in martini’s… yummalicious I tell ya :D
Hi Angela!
I’ve never had the yellow kind, but it looks like the one you ate isn’t ripe or is too ripe… the flesh of the fruit should be plumper and not quite so withered, I think. I’ve only had the pink kind but it is DELICIOUS! I’ve eaten it since I was little (my family is Vietnamese), so I guess I’ve never really over thought it. :P It’s hard to get the good ripe ones where I live, but the canned ones are really good too. Like Sara said, the “real” way to eat them is to drain them, and pour them over ice to chill them (I don’t prefer them that way, I just throw a can in the fridge and eat ’em!) Hope that you try them again, and enjoy them :)
Also, I LOVE SKETCHIE!! He is just too adorable.