Another Fabulous Fruit: Lichi

Also known as the lichee or litchi, this spiny red fruit originated in China, where it has been grown for three and a half millennia. Amazingly, scientists have found specimens of the sturdy lichi tree that are more than 1,200 years old. In the last 20 years the fruit has caught on beyond Asia, and is sold fresh, frozen, canned in syrup or dried like dates and renamed lichi nuts. In the Antigua market prices vary depending on quality, but you should be able to get two for a quetzal. Within the alien-looking rind is a gray, vitamin-C rich pulp that can be sweet or tart, depending on the individual fruit. Simply peel and eat around the large central seed — and watch out for squirting juice.