Alan Davidson

Longan

Appears in
Oxford Companion to Food
Oxford Companion to Food

By Alan Davidson

Published 2014

  • About

Dimocarpus longan, is a slightly smaller and less well-flavoured relative of the lychee, native to the same region and also of long-standing cultivation. Its fruits ripen later than the lychee, it withstands lower temperatures, and is less exacting about growing conditions.

Like the lychee, the longan has a rough and brittle shell, easily removed. The flesh within is whitish and translucent, enclosing a shiny black seed; hence the name ‘dragon’s eye’.
In China much of the crop is canned. The Chinese also dry the pulp, which acquires a rich, smoky taste and can be used in cookery or added to tea for special occasions.