What kind of fruit is a longan, where it is grown, how it is eaten and how useful it is

Having a rest in Thailand, China or on one of the Indonesian islands, tourists necessarily try a fruit longan. First, it is pleasant to the taste. Secondly, it is available, because you can buy it at every corner, and it costs (like most of the region's fruit) literally a penny. But it turns out that, in addition to the excellent sweet taste that its pulp possesses, it contains a lot of vitamins and other substances necessary to the body.

How does a longan look like?

"Dragon's Eye" (as they call this fruit in Thailand and China) grows on rather tall trees with clusters. Almost like grapes. To taste, he also remotely resembles it. But its sweet and rather juicy pulp is in a dense skin. It can be yellow, reddish or brown, depending on the variety. The taste of longan is usually sweet (in a ripe fruit), but it can be with sourness (if it is not ripe).

The skin is removed without any effort, if you press it lightly with two fingers. Under it is a white juicy pulp, reminiscent of peeled grapes. Using a fruit longan, you need not forget about the bone inside. It is hard and does not fit for food. When serving longans in cafes or restaurants, it is usually cleaned and stones taken out. If fruits were bought in the market, you will have to do it yourself.

About the benefits of the "Dragon's Eye"

The Thai fruit longan contains a large amount of vitamin C, as well as almost the entire B group. In addition, it is rich in carbohydrates (about 14%), phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron, copper, calcium. At the same time, its pulp is 82% water, so that in its 100 grams, only 60 kcal.

Fruit longan is known for its tonic properties, so it is recommended to use it for fatigue. Simultaneously, it improves sleep and acts as a sedative for nervous system disorders (due to magnesium). Also known and widely used in Chinese medicine are the properties of "Dragon Eyes" to lower body temperature for colds or infections. The use of pulp helps to improve vision and normalize the heartbeat with tachycardia. Longan has a beneficial effect on the digestive system, which is very important for Europeans, who are faced with the need to adapt to Thai cuisine.

How to choose a tasty longan

Specialists recommend first of all to pay attention to the condition of its peel. Fruit longan, photo of which can be seen below, without cracks and damage. That's exactly the way it should be. The color of it depends not on maturity, but solely on the variety, so it is not worth it to navigate. The most tasty is the "Eye of the Dragon", lying down a few days after it was ripped off. But, unfortunately, it is very difficult to determine this by external signs. So the only reliable option for buying a ripe fruit is just to try it.

Storage

Due to its excellent taste and affordable price, tourists often try to bring a longan from a long trip home. The fruit at home can be stored only 2-3 days, but this is enough to treat friends or relatives with overseas delicacies.

In addition, the fruits perfectly carry the road and, thanks to a fairly dense skin, do not crumple. For transportation it is recommended to buy a slightly non-ripe longan (it slightly acidates), because in 2-3 days it will just ripen. When stored in the refrigerator (this is allowed, the fruits will not be affected), it will be perfectly suitable for food even after a week.

How to eat it

Basically, just fresh in separate form or with other fruits. Sometimes it is added to salads, desserts or used as an ornament for a cake. Fans of exotic dishes, being in Thailand, can try the local cuisine, in which the "Dragon's Eye" has become more widely used. In particular, based on it, sauces are prepared for fish and other seafood, it is added to soups and sharp meat dishes. Adherents of traditional European cuisine can safely use the fruit as a filling for sweet baking. Tourists have to taste a drink made from dried fruits, which are brewed like a dog rose or other berries, and eat with sugar. It turns out very tasty and useful.

How the "Eye of the Dragon" grows

Despite the fact that his homeland is Sri Lanka and Eastern India, it is currently produced in the US and China, in Thailand and even in Australia. Such a wide distribution was received by the longan. The fruit, the growing of which became the fundamental for the economy of many Asian countries, is also supplied to the European market. So if you want, you can buy it in a regular supermarket.

It grows on fairly tall evergreen trees with a fragile trunk and a dense crown. Flowers are small, brownish-yellow, form large brushes. The plant is very fertile. Harvest is collected mainly by hand, cutting the whole cluster. Sometimes trees that are too tall sometimes even cut off the top of the tree. On an industrial scale, only fruits are used. Although wood sometimes goes to furniture manufacturing.

At home, a longan can be grown from a bone. To do this, it is taken from a ripe fruit, a little dried for 2-3 days, and then planted in the soil. The tree grows quite rapidly, needs light and frequent watering, but it will most likely not be fruit at home. First, it requires an inoculation. And secondly, it is unlikely that the dimensions of an apartment or even a house will allow it to grow to the right size.

Longan fruit is a delicious and useful subtropical delicacy. Therefore, being on a trip to the places where it is grown, you must certainly try it.