Lychee, Calories, benefits and harms, Useful properties

general description

Lychee (lat. Litchi chinensis – Chinese plum) – small
sweet and sour berry, covered with a crusty skin. The fruit is growing
on evergreen tropical trees, the height of which reaches 10-30
meters. The homeland of the berry is China.

Lychee has an oval or round shape with a diameter of 2,5-4 cm.
the fruit has a dense red skin with a lot of sharp
tubercles. Only the pulp of the fruit is used for food, which has
jelly-like structure, and in color and taste resembles peeled grapes
white varieties. Inside the pulp is an oval brown bone.
The main harvest of lychee is in May-June.

History of appearance and distribution around the world

The first mention of lychee dates back to the 2nd century BC. during the reign
Chinese Emperor Wu Di. In those days, China was divided by the Great
Chinese wall into two separate states: South and North
China. According to one legend, the ruler Wu Di tried to start from the south and start
cultivate fruit in the northern territories, however, due to the lack of
heat, moisture and fertility of the earth, the plant did not take root. Angry
he ordered the execution of all the court gardeners. To European countries
Lychees were first introduced in the middle of the 17th century.

Currently, lychee is grown throughout the subtropical
territories of Southeast Asia, where there are no harsh winters, and the climate is sufficient
dry.

Use in cooking

Lychees are mainly used fresh as food. However, from the pulp
berries, you can also prepare desserts (ice cream, jelly, marmalade),
jam, jam, Chinese wine. You can also find lychees in dried
form. At the same time, the peel of the fruit becomes stiff, and the dry pulp with a bone
rolls freely inside. Lychees in this form are called nut
lichee
.

Selection and storage

Fresh fruits are very difficult to store and transport over large
distance. To keep the lychees longer, they are plucked in bunches together.
a branch and a few leaves. At a temperature of 1-7 ° C, lychees can
stored for a month, and at room temperature – only
3 days.

When purchasing lychee in a store, you should pay attention to the peel.
It should be red, not too soft, and free from visible damage.
Brown color indicates stale lychee.

Useful properties of lychee

Composition and presence of nutrients

Fresh lychee contains (in 100 g):

Calories 66 Kcal

Vitamin C 71,5 Potassium, K 171 Vitamin
B4 7,1 Phosphorus,
P 31 Vitamin
B3 0,603 Magnesium, Mg 10 Vitamin
B6 0,1 Calcium, Ca 5 Vitamin E 0,07 Sodium,
On 1

Full composition

Lychee fruits contain a large amount of nutrients, among
which vitamins (C, E,
К,
group B, PP,
N),
minerals (calcium,
iron,
magnesium,
potassium,
phosphorus,
zinc, sodium,
iodine, selenium,
manganese),
organic acids and pectin substances.

Doctors of oriental medicine use lychees for treatment and prevention
atherosclerosis, normalization of sugar levels in diabetes, liver function,
lungs and kidneys. Combined with medicinal herbs and lemongrass,
lychees are used to treat cancer and restore
strength in the fight against the disease. In this case, you should consume at least 10
fruits per day.

Due to the high content of potassium in the fruit pulp, it is recommended
use for people with cardiovascular disease, with high
blood cholesterol levels and anemia.
It is also used to treat the stomach, pancreas,
improper bowel function. In Hindu medicine, lychee is considered
an aphrodisiac that enhances sex drive and masculinity.

Dangerous properties of lychee

Lychee has no contraindications to use. You shouldn’t eat them
only to those people who have individual fetal intolerance.
When offering lychees to children, you need to make sure that they do not eat
more than 100 g per day. Also, excessive consumption of the fruit can
cause allergic
reactions on the skin in the form of rashes and redness.

Is it difficult to surprise you with something in the kitchen? Then cook coconut-marinated chicken breasts with pineapple and lychee. You definitely haven’t tried this!

See also properties of other exotic fruits:

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Anna Evans

Author ✓ Farmer

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