Longan Fruit (aka Dragon’s Eye)
The longan is a close cousin of the Lychee and the Rambutan. It comes from the Soapberry tree and it’s called dragon’s eye due to its contrasting white flesh and dark seed. 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. The taste is different from lychees; while longan have a drier sweetness, lychees are often messily juicy with a more tropical, sour sweetness. The seed and the shell are not consumed. In Chinese food therapy and herbal medicine, it is believed to have an effect on relaxation. In Chinese medicine, the longan, much like the lychee, is thought to give internal heat, and is known for soothing coughs. In our teas, when hydrated by water, the shell breaks free and the fruit expands, is edible, and has a very sweet flavor (like jelly).
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