Explaining What Longan Fruit Is
Known in Thailand as Lam Yai (ลำใย), longan fruit is popular all over the country, and you’ll regularly see it in fresh food markets or street-side stalls. This article provides an overview of what longan is, including what the fruit tastes like, how it’s eaten, and what it looks like.
So, What is Longan Fruit?
Longan fruit is a circular fruit that grows on a tropical tree of the same name. The fruit’s peel has a yellow-brown colour (kind of like a kiwi but lighter) with a leathery texture. Peeling the skin reveals a translucent fruit that looks remarkably similar to lychee fruit.
Most interestingly, longan fruits contain a jet-black seed at their core. The jet black seed, contrasted against the circular translucent white fruit, gives peeled longan the appearance of an eyeball. Hence the translation from the Cantonese origin of the word longan, meaning ‘dragon eye’. So, if you want to really impress your friend’s after returning from Thailand, tell them you ate some dragon eye fruit. 🙂
Another quirky fact about lam yai is that in Vietnam, when you get bitten by a snake, some people believe the seed of the fruit absorbs the venom and thus acts as a kind of anti-venom.
In Thailand, you can buy fresh longan by the kilo when it’s in season. The best time to eat them is during the wet season from June to August when you’ll see them sold abundantly at street-side makeshift stalls.
It’s popular to buy fresh longan by the kilo, peel them with your thumb, and eat the fruit in Thailand. It’s worth bearing in mind that you shouldn’t eat the seed. Dried longan is a popular sugary snack that contains far more calories than fresh longan.
My personal favourite way to consume lamyai is to buy some fresh lamyai juice. I find it to be a superb thirst quencher on a typically ferociously hot and humid day in Thailand. When you buy the juice, there’ll typically be a couple of spoons of the fresh fruit added to it along with lots of ice. Yummy!
I have also seen and tasted longan wine in Chiang Mai. It was surprisingly really good.
What Does Longan Taste Like?
Dragon eye fruit tastes similar to lychee. But they’re not exactly the same. Overall, longan is less floral and it has a muskier aftertaste which might make it less pleasing to some people. Personally, I love that slight muskiness to the aftertaste; it adds to the complexity of the flavour profile instead of just being sweet.
You might also say that longan has a lovely freshness and subtlety to it, which is why it works well as a juice. Dried longan tastes similar to but is a bit milder than the fresh fruit.
Nutritionally, the fruit is high in vitamin C and low to moderate in copper. The amount of calories per 100-gram serving fresh fruit is 60 calories.
It can be difficult to find fresh longan depending on where you live in the world. Dried longan is much easier to find. You can get 400 grams (just over 14 ounces) for a reasonable price online here.
Wrapping Up
Have you tasted longan fruit? If so, let me know what you think in the comments below. And thanks again for visiting my Thai food website. If you like reading about different Thai fruits, I also wrote an article comparing lychee and rambutan, both of which are related to lamyai.
I lived in Thailand for a few years during my 20s during which time I fell in love with Thai food. Along with my Thai partner, I cook and eat tasty Thai dishes 3 or 4 times per week. I’m here to bring you recipes, Thai food tips, and suggested cookware for making Thai food.
