Tag: Litchi chinensis

Did you know that the lychee has been a prized fruit in China for over a thousand years, valued for its sweet, aromatic flavor? For those asking, "what food family is lychee?", the answer is the surprisingly large and diverse soapberry family, known as *Sapindaceae*.

Lychee has been cultivated in China for over 4,000 years. Despite its sweet, juicy flesh and small size, the common assumption that lychee is in the berry family is botanically incorrect. While it belongs to the broader soapberry family, the lychee fruit is a different category altogether.