Longan Fruit * Guiyuan

Also called as dragon's eye, the longan is a fruit native to Southeast Asia. The longan ("dragon eyes") is so named (from its transliteration from Amoy) [liong-gan] because its fruit, when it is shelled, resembles an eyeball (the black seed shows through the translucent flesh like a pupil/iris). The seed is small, round and hard, and of an enamel-like, lacquered black. The fully ripened, freshly harvested shell is bark-like, thin, and firm, making the fruit easy to shell by squeezing the fruit out as if one is "cracking" a sunflower seed. The fruit is edible, extremely sweet, juicy and succulent in superior agricultural varieties, and apart from being eaten fresh, is also often used in East Asian soups, snacks, desserts, and sweet-and-sour foods, either fresh or dried, sometimes canned with syrup in supermarkets. are often used in Chinese cuisine and Chinese sweet dessert soups. In Chinese food therapy and herbal medicine, it is believed to have an effect on relaxation. In contrast with the fresh fruit, which is juicy and white, the flesh of dried longans is dark brown to almost black. Longan contains several vitamins and minerals, including iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, and large amounts of vitamins A and C. In traditional Chinese medicine, longan is considered to have a sweet taste and warm energy, and is associated with the Heart and Spleen meridians. It is used to relieve rapid heartbeat, insomnia, forgetfulness and anxiety associated with blood and qi deficiency. Combined with other herbs such as ganoderma and spirit poria, longan promotes tranquility and calms the spirit. It also increases physical stamina.

Our top grade is very fresh, sweet and smells fantastic. It has much more tender pulp then common grade which is a good source of fiber.

The dried product is leathery and smoky in flavor and is mainly used to prepare an infusion drunk for refreshment. Eat longans alone as a snack, or use for soups, desserts, and sweet-and-sour dishes.

100g net