- Longan The Ravishing Longan Nectar Aroma
Longan fruit looks crystal clear with its skin peeled off. The red-black pit can be seen gleamingly, very much like an eyeball, hence the name “longan”, meaning dragon’s eye in Chinese. In ancient times, longan and litchi enjoyed equal popularity. Although its flesh is not as juicy as litchi, longan is an even better tonic. Hillsides of the Dagangshan area of Kaohsiung were already covered with longan trees as early as the Japanese Colonial Period. The limestone terrain of the area made longan flesh particularly plump and sweet.
The golden and silver white longan flowers on the hillside bloom in spring every year. It is also the best time for honey bees to collect nectar. Beekeepers smell the scent of longan flowers and start moving large numbers of beehive boxes to the mountain. The longan nectar has a charming and ravishing aroma. The characteristics of longan honey include refreshing taste and the fact that it can decrease the internal heat of the body. On a hot summer day, sipping a cup of longan honey drink with ice will give you a special invigorating feeling. The growing area of longan is quite broad, including the districts of Neimen, Shanlin, Tianliao, Cishan, Yanchao, Alian, Jiasian and Gangshan.
The fruit of longan is sweet and small in size. In recent years, foreign longan variety with larger fruit was also introduced into Taiwan. Freshness of longan can be judged from its ripeness, completeness of fruit shape and whether it has disease spots. However, texture of longan has to be measured by the elasticity of fruit flesh. If the fruit flesh of longan is crystal clear, and not sticky and wet, then it tastes sweet and refreshing. If juice overflows upon cracking open the shell, it is a sign of flesh deterioration. Since it is difficult to identify the place of production and quality between good and bad, selection of dried longan, longan flesh and longan honey is suggested to be made based on brands.
A Fruit Herb Good for the Spleen and Health
Longan belongs to the sapindaceae family and is an evergreen tree. Its fruit is very nutritious. Since longan has wide adaptability and strong reproductive capacity, cultivation and management of longan is easy. It has developed into an economic fruit tree of Taiwan. Longan contains many minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, iron and potassium, and vitamins A, C, B1, B2 and B3 (niacin). Eating fresh longan fruit can supplement the iron in one’s body, is beneficial to the brain and reinforces the spleen. The processed dried longan can be used to make longan tea and longan liqueur, or used as an ingredient in sweet glutinous rice or special cuisine. In addition, longan roots, stems, leaves and even the longan shell are excellent dyes.
- Delicious dishes:White fungus with longan sweet soup
- Ingredients
- White fungus 100g
- Dried longan 500g
- Water 800c.c.
- Seasoning
Soak white fungus in water until it completely swells,then tear it into small pieces and place in a pot of water;after the water boils, cook the soup at low heat for about 2.5 to 3 hours;add dried longan and crystal sugar to the soup and cook for another 30 minutes.
- Applications of the Fruit
- Dried longan
- Longan tea
- Concentrated longan tea bag
- Longan jam
- Longan honey
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