Litchi, like many fruits, grows on a tree bearing the same name. It grows in America, and in Asia, and in Africa; occasionally it can be found in Australia.
It is completely pointless to consider all species at once with a general superficial excursion, so we will focus our attention on those species that grow on the territory of our eastern part of the country - Asia.
The indigenous population calls lychees still "foxes" or "ligies," and, based on such names, it can reasonably be assumed that the origins of lychee are taken in China. As another argument supporting this theory, one can cite the fact that the Chinese began to eat these exotic fruits as far back as the second century BC. A little later the litchi got into other neighboring countries and there they also came to court: people immediately recognized all their taste and charm.
But Europeans learned the taste of lychee much later, and then for the first time from the mouth of the Spaniard Gonzalez de Mendoza, closely studying the history of ancient China. He said that this wonderful fruit looks something like our familiar plum, but it also has an amazing property - it is impossible to eat this fruit, regardless of the amount you ate, but he will never leave a weight in his stomach after all , but only will bring a blessed warmth.
The fruits of this tree are not too big, their length is rarely more than 4 centimeters, and they weigh, and at all as fluff, no more than 20 grams. Each fruit is wrapped in a dense peel of dark red color; outwardly it does not attract attention very much - it is tuberous, with pimples. However, it is removed quite easily, and one more surprise waits inside the lover of this exotic fruit: its contents resemble the consistency of jelly, painted in a uniform cream or white color, but it tastes amazing - the sour taste miraculously combines with sweet. Inside, there must necessarily be a large brownish seed. But the most surprising thing about litchi is the smell of his flesh. No gourmet will ever be able to describe it in simple words. By the way, it is because of this structure - the brown seed lying inside the white pulp - he received such a characteristic for the Chinese name - the eye of the dragon. This very eye of the dragon, like the cucumber habitual for us, is full of fresh clean water, and in addition rich in carbohydrates, fats and proteins. But the amount of sugar can vary from 6 to 14 percent - in the first place, of course, this depends on the conditions of the locality in which the tree grows.
Useful properties of lychee are due to various vitamins and minerals contained in it. Most of the lychee contains vitamin C and calcium. Because of this lychee is often advised to eat people suffering from diseases of the cardiovascular system.
Accordingly, very often in China lychees are eaten by cores. However, the Chinese sages also advised him to consume people with atherosclerosis or who want to lower the level of cholesterol in the blood. The combination of lychee with lemongrass, the Chinese even treat cancers. In short, this miracle fruit treats many different diseases.
In the East, this fruit is considered the fruit of love and is attributed to it the property of treating constipation, anemia, gastritis and other diseases; people who have a lot of time to spend away from water sources appreciate litchi for its property to quench cruel thirst.
However, these days lychees are also used for prevention, because they have beneficial effects on the kidneys and liver. However, most often this fruit is used for medicinal purposes, and for good reason, after all, it, in fact, can cure bronchitis, asthma, tuberculosis and other diseases of the respiratory tract.
By the way, lychee is a fruit for diabetics. Experts have calculated that it is enough to eat only 10 fruits of this miracle tree every day, and the blood sugar level will return to normal.
Thus, there is nothing surprising in that the cultivation of litchi fruit for sale is becoming very profitable. It is reinforced by the fact that lychees can be stored for a very long time without spoiling, and in this form they can be transported for very long distances. The first profitability of this occupation was understood by the people of Thailand - now they occupy the first place in the export of this fruit. However, Vietnam also found its niche in this business - it also delivers a large amount of litchi to different countries, including Russia.
However, nevertheless, it is very important to correctly assess the state of the purchased goods. If the skin of the litchi is dark and wrinkled, it is better to pass by - neither taste, nor benefit you will not feel. The normal color of the peel of this fruit is red. The darker the color, the longer it hangs on the branch, but its taste will only spoil it. There should not be any external damage to the skin - it should be soft and pleasant to the touch.
Of course, very few people have the opportunity to experience the true taste of litchi, because you can fully experience it by just trying a fresh fruit, not frozen and not canned. However, with many diseases lychee becomes vital, and we have to be satisfied with what lies on the counter.
By the way, surprisingly this sounds, but lychees can be eaten absolutely by everyone, except for people who are allergic to this fruit. However, you must always know the full measure - excessive consumption of lychee can affect you in the form of allergic rashes, pimples, the mucous membrane can suffer. Children should especially be cautious: remember, they can give no more than 100 grams per day.