Langsat (Lanzones)

Lansium parasiticum, commonly known as langsat or Longkong in English; duku in Indonesian or dokong in Terengganu Malay, is a species of tree in the Mahogany family with commercially cultivated edible fruits. It is one of my favorite Filipino fruits. Langsat is a nutritionally rich fruit containing many vital elements like proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and dietary fiber in abundance. It is rich in vitamin A, thiamine, and riboflavin, which are necessary for many body functions.

A shrub called langsat produces tiny delicious fruits. These fruits resemble potatoes from the outside, yet they have white flesh inside that contains bitter, inedible seeds. These fruits taste a lot like grapes and have an acidic, sour, and sweet flavor combination. Some people compare its flavor to that of a pomelo. The sweetness of lanzones fruit can vary greatly depending on where it’s from. Average or not fully ripe langsat will be sour and sweet but the best langsat, from Camiguin Island, will have a nectar-like sweetness that’s unlike any other lanzones in the Philippines. Camiguin lanzones are so famous that they have their own festival celebrated on the third weekend of October every year.