LONGAN

The 'Longan' (; Cantonese ''long-ngan''; literally "dragon eye"; Thai ลำไย) is an tropical tree native to southern China. The tree is very sensitive to frost. It is also found in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. It is also called ''guiyuan'' (桂圆) in Chinese, ''lengkeng'' in Indonesia, ''mata kucing'' in Malaysia, and ''quả nhãn'' in Vietnamese . The longan ("dragon eyes") is so named because of the fruit's resemblance to an eyeball when it is shelled (the black seed shows through the translucent flesh like a pupil/iris).
The fruit is edible, and is often used in East Asian soups, snacks, desserts, and sweet-and-sour foods. They are round with a thin, brown-coloured inedible shell. The flesh of the fruit, which surrounds a big, black seed, is translucent white, soft, and juicy.
Longans and lychees bear fruit at around the same time of the year. Dried longan () are often used in Chinese cuisine, Chinese food therapy and herbal medicine and Chinese sweet dessert soups. In contrast with the fresh fruit, the flesh of dried longans is dark brown to almost black.
Longan trees require sandy soil and temperatures that do not typically go below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

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See also

External links

See also

★ List of fruits

★ Ackee

★ Lychee

★ Mamoncillo

★ Rambutan

External links

★

★ Fruits of Warm Climates: Longan

★ Know and Enjoy Tropical Fruit: Lychee, Rambutan & Longan

★ Dimocarpus longan (Sapindaceae)

★ Nutritional and historical information