Lychees

Fresh lychees have been hard to come by in the United States because of fears that imports could carry with them foreign fruit flies. They are permitted to Canada, however, because the cold kills the pests.

The Department of Agriculture has now legalized the import of fresh lychees from China, Taiwan and India, as long as they go through two weeks' exposure to cold treatment, but this shrivels and discolors the skin and has an impact on flavor.

Growers around Homestead, Florida, are now cultivating Mauritius, an early-June lychee, and Brewster, a later variety, but both tend to have larger pips and less flesh than the Oriental varieties.

Lychees are becoming increasingly available at central branches of Giant, Safeway, Fresh Fields, and Dean & DeLuca. And you will always find them in season at Oriental markets in the area, like H Mart.

They're worth looking out for. Like the mangosteen, it's like taking a soft bite of pure, sweet scent. The canned version is a very poor cousin.

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