Longan, or ลำไย “lum yai” in Thai, is a juicy, sweet fruit that tastes just like lychee. Known as “dragon’s eye” due to its translucent, white flesh with a central black seed, longan is a popular possibility in terms of tropical fruits in Thailand. When visiting Thailand, longan fruit is a must-try because of its sweetness and quite a few culinary functions. Let’s discover this delicious tropical fruit’s historical past, seasonality, well being advantages, variety.
The longan fruit, scientifically referred to as Dimocarpus Longan, has a protracted historical past in Asia. It is believed to be native to the realm together with southern China, northern Vietnam, and jap Thailand, as nicely as Myanmar.
The longan fruit is grown in many provinces across Thailand with the northern provinces accounting for the majority of manufacturing. The longan fruit thrives in areas with cooler climates, corresponding to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphun, and Lampang. As a result, longan is a vital source of earnings for these areas. Thailand is currently one of many world’s prime exporters of longan.
Longan has a comparatively brief harvesting season when compared to other year-round-producing Thai fruits like papayas and bananas. Normally, Itemized in March and April, they usually begin to reveal fruit in June and September, which is the peak longan season – that is the finest time to purchase the fruit as it’s low-cost and in nice supply. Longan is incessantly consumed by Thais either straight up or added to various pastries, smoothies, and shaved ice desserts.
Aside from its scrumptious style, the longan fruit is packed with dietary benefits that contribute to its popularity.
With an abundance of vitamin C, longan fruits effectively combat indicators of aging, enhancing pigmentation, blemishes, nice lines, and wrinkles. The fruit additionally aids collagen manufacturing, encouraging new skin cell creation, and sustaining pores and skin well being.
Longan holds a good portion of potassium, an important element in managing blood pressure. Numerous diet experts regard potassium as a nutrient that is generally under-consumed.
In our hectic fashionable lives, many battle with insomnia. Longan, with its anxiolytic properties, can help alleviate stress and anxiety by reducing cortisol ranges, in the end enhancing sleep high quality and duration.
A lack of adequate healthy pink blood cell technology might end in anaemia. Therefore, consuming the fruit can supply you with iron, which might help in managing iron deficiency and lowering the chance of anaemia.
Several kinds of longan fruit are cultivated across Thailand, each with distinct characteristics. The most prominent kinds of longan present in Thailand embrace:
This small, oval variety of longan has a light-weight sweetness and is often utilized in regional foods and drinks. Notably, the Biew Kiew longan tree has a high yield and produces an abundance of scrumptious fruit. Consequently, it is the selection that’s most grown for business production.
Sri Chompoo longans, instantly translated as pink-coloured longans, are a visually appealing choice since, because it has rose-tinted colour. This selection is sought-after for its price because of its alluring pink tint, big measurement, and mouthwatering sweetness.
Renowned for his or her constant roundness and huge dimension, the longan Haew variety has barely thicker pores and skin in comparison with different varieties. Their notable sweetness and fragrant aroma make them a favorite among fruit lovers.
Thailand has an abundance of vibrant avenue markets that sell fresh, locally grown longans for cheap costs. Some famous markets in Bangkok embrace the Chatuchak Night Market, Chinese Market (in Chinatown), Tor Kor Market, and Khlong Toei Market.
Visit your nearest grocery store to buy longan (particularly during the longan season). Some of the most popular and widespread supermarkets are Tesco Lotus, Big C, Macro, and Tops Market.
The longan fruit provides a pleasant and refreshing style that’s uniquely Thai. So, the next time you’re in Thailand or see longans being sold at an area market and supermarket, be sure to buy and indulge within the scrumptious sweetness of the longan..