Litchis, raw

Fresh litchis have a bumpy, rose-pink shell that peels away easily by hand to reveal translucent, juicy flesh with a floral, slightly musky sweetness and a single large seed at the center. They are eaten out of hand as a snack, added whole or halved to fruit salads, blended into sorbets and granitas, or paired with coconut, ginger, lime and chili in Southeast Asian-inspired desserts and salads. Litchis also show up muddled into cocktails and mocktails, chopped into a salsa alongside mango or pineapple, or simply chilled and served on their own after a meal, since their perfume comes through best cold.

Pick litchis with shells that are still slightly firm and rosy pink to red rather than brown or badly split, since browning shells usually signal the fruit inside is past its best; fresh litchis keep for about a week refrigerated in a perforated bag. A cup, 190 grams, has 66 calories and delivers 79 percent DV of vitamin C, making the fruit a notably concentrated source of it among common fruits, alongside 15.2 grams of sugar and 1.3 grams of fiber, so it reads more as a juicy, sweet snack than a fiber-forward one. Peeling and de-seeding just before eating or serving keeps the flesh from browning and losing its characteristic perfume.