DIMOCARPUS LONGAN AND LITCHI CHINENSIS
LONGANS ARE native to Southeast Asia and are associated most closely with Thailand. They’re similar in size and taste to their relative, the litchi, which is native to sourthern China, and, like the litchi, have a thin, tan- to cinnamon-colored shell that peels away from the translucent white flesh underneath. Unlike the freestone litchi, the longan’s flesh clings to the single, hard, black seed at the center of the fruit, giving it the common name, Dragon’s Eye. Breeders are working on developing a freestone longan.
Longans are planted in Hawaii, California, and Florida, with large-scale production (over 1,000 trees) underway in south Florida. Most litchis are grown in the favorable climate of southern China, but some are grown in Hawaii, Florida, and California.
THE ORGANIC FACTOR
While longans are not yet a well-known fruit, there are organic longans as well as litchis on the market. Saw Mill Farm in Miami, Florida, sells both fruits and will ship.
NUTRITION
The longan is low in calories and a good source of potassium and magnesium, similar to the composition of litchis.
SEASONALITY
The fresh fruit season for longans begins in mid-July and extends through August. Much of the crop is sold fresh, but some is frozen, which extends the season. Litchis tend to ripen a few weeks later.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
They are usually found in Asian markets in the United States, although that is changing and they are beginning to show up in mainstream markets.
STORAGE
Either eat fresh or freeze. They can also be dried. When litchis are dried within their rinds, they are known as litchi nuts.
USES
Longans are mostly used for fresh eating out of hand. Longans acquire a rich, smoky flavor when dried, and Asian markets sell the dried fruits, mostly imported, for cooking and making teas. Litchis are found fresh, canned, and dried.
VARIETY
The longan, like the litchi, has something of a honeydew melon in its flavor, with a floral note of gardenia. It’s sweeter than a litchi, but not as juicy. Although there are thirty to forty named cultivars of this fruit, only a few are commercially important in the United States.
DIAMOND RIVER —A late-season variety that bears less erratically than Kohala.
KOHALA —Most U.S. plantings are of this variety, which yields fruits about 1 inch in diameter with a very good, sweet flavor.
TAI TSO —Popular litchi with firm, juicy flesh surrounding large seeds.
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