The longan is a prized fruit from Southern Asia because of its health benefits. It is also believed that the longan has very positive effects on the beauty of the skin and that it has aphrodisiac abilities.

It's closely related to the lychee, but has its own unique flavour. It is best compared to the taste and texture of lychee, grape and brown sugar.

In traditional Chinese medicine, longan is used as a tonic for the heart, to improve eye function, and to help with insomnia.

Though longans are thought to give internal ‘heat’ in Chinese medicine, canned longans are great for ice popsicles to beat the summer heat.  

Red dates and (dried) longan tea is a popular winter drink to boost your blood circulation and warm you up on winter days.

Also known as

Dragon's eye, euphoria fruit

Origin

Vietnam, China or Thailand

Preparation

Wash the longans before eating them as quite some dirt can settle on their outside skin. There are many ways to eat longans: you can take a light bite on the fruit, just enough so the shell cracks open (almost in half) and then squeeze the fruit out of its shell; you can dig your fingernail (or the tip of a vegetable knife) next to the stem and peel off the skin; you can pop the whole fruit in your mouth and then spit out the seed; or you can cut the fruit in half and remove the seed manually.

Usage

You can eat out of hand or use to make delicious drinks.