You can use a sharp knife to carefully cut around the entire fruit to the seed then pull off the shell with your fingers. Or you can simply peel off the skin with your fingers. Sometimes you can simply squeeze the fruit and the white insides will pop-out. Chinese emperors would simply pop the lychee into their mouths.

Why is lychee bad for you?

Unripe lychees contain toxins that can cause extremely low blood sugar. This could lead to an encephalopathy, a change in brain functioning, said Dr. Padmini Srikantiah of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention office in India, who led the investigation in Muzaffarpur.

How do you prepare lychees to eat?

Simply peel and eat

Lychees are best eaten fresh. Peel with fingers, then nibble or suck the flesh from the seed. They make a refreshing end to a meal. Lychees can be pitted and added to fruit salads or used in sweet and sour dishes and salads.