How to Eat a Lychee: Top Maui Tip

If you don't try lychee on Maui, you are missing something fantastic. Don't be shy!

One of Shannon Wianecki’s greatest contributions to the new edition of Top Maui Restaurants was a brilliant answer to a FAQ I get from readers every year:

“I really want to try new tropical fruits while I’m on Maui … but I’m embarrassed that I might not know how to eat them. What should I try?”

Shannon joined us as a contributor for this edition, and we couldn’t be happier. Her expertise in all things food and all things Maui is boundless, and she’s a beautiful writer. I gave her this question to tackle, and she responded with an article that covers three whole pages in the Top Maui Tips section of the new guide. If you’re wondering what to try, and where to buy it, this is the place to look. (Specifically, pages 188-190.)

This symbol is used whenever we give a "Tip" for making the most of your time on Maui.

Even better, she included instructions about how to eat the more exotic entries on her list of must-try fruits. For example, she points out that eating lychee is as much about the sense of smell as the sense of taste:

“… peel this outer covering off to reveal luscious, translucent, pearly flesh around an almond shaped seed. Make sure you inhale the rosy perfume before devouring the sweet flesh.”

And if you’ve every struggled to scoop out a mango, there’s a fool-proof method for creating cubes of succulent flesh easily and quickly. Enjoy!