Longan
Longan (scientific name: Dimocarpus longan) is the name for a tree in the Sapindaceae (soapberry) family. It comes from the southern part of Asia and is related to the lychee.[1]
The fruit of the longan is white, round, and together with its hard seed, looks like an eyeball when the shell is peeled off. This gave the fruit its name in Chinese, which means "dragon's eye". The English name is from its pronunciation in Cantonese, the dialect of southern China.[2] The fruit is edible, has a sweet taste, and is often used for cooking. There is a lot of protein and dietary fiber.[3]
Most longan trees are harvested in China, where the fruit was known as early as the Han dynasty and there are many legends about it. In the Western world, though, it was not known until near the end of the 18th century.[4]
| Longan | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| "Longan" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 龍眼 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 龙眼 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "dragon eye" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Longan Media
Longan fruit with flesh, seed, and peel visible.
Video of longan being peeled and eaten.
Longan (Dimocarpus longan) tree leaves
Longan (Dimocarpus longan) Tree lower trunk.
The longan was described in Joao de Loureiro's work, Flora Cochinchinensis, published in 1790
Longan (Dimocarpus longan) baby fruits and leaves
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References
- ↑ McDermott, Annette (2017-06-22). "Longan Fruit vs. Lychee: Which Fruit Is Better?". Healthline. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
- ↑ Yingling, Kimlai (2014-01-30). "What Is the Difference Between the Lychee, Rambutan and Longan?". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
- ↑ "What Is Longan Good For?". Food Facts by Mercola. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
- ↑ "Historical Retrospective of Longan and Legends of Longan". MDidea. Archived from the original on 2016-06-22. Retrieved 2018-03-15.