New Favorite Food

It's a Lychee fruit! I had not eaten one of these things as of last week, and now I can't stop! Dang are they delicious little guys. The tree is native to China, but I got a bag of them at the Dekalb Farmers Market it Decatur, GA. Which is, by the way, the most amazing food store I've been to in the United States (possibly the world). LORD have mercy is it wondermous. Guess who I saw shopping there yesterday? Eli Kirshtein from Season 6 of Top Chef! Exciting stuff.

But, back to the lychee. According to Wikipedia, these little guys were so in demand in Imperial China that there was a "Lychee Task Force" of guys (with extra fast horses) that brought lychees from Canton. Yeah. They're kind of a big deal.

Another fun fact about lychee fruit is that the Chinese use it instead of a pacfier because of its healthly qualities.

The lychee has a hard spiny skin that is pink (and apparently turns brown when refrigerated). But, once you peel that dino-like skin off, the fleshy succulent fruit underneath is exposed. I wish I could describe how they taste, but it's almost impossible.


All I can tell you is that they are sweet and juicy and DELICIOUS!

And guess what the best part is? They are good for you! They are full of vitamin C and studies have found that they prevent the growth of cancer cells - especially breast cancer. How much better can it get? Better. They are even said to help the common cold and shrink swollen glands. As of right now, nothing is really ailing me, but that's not going to stop me from devouring them! I have a feeling this bag isn't going to last very long.

So, next time you're at a specialty grocery store (they might even have them at Kroger), grab a lychee or two (or 24...) and don't let their prehistoric exterior fool you. Enjoy!

~ Mari