Longan

Dimocarpus longan, commonly known as the longan, is a tropical tree species that produces edible fruit. It is one of the better-known tropical members of the soapberry family Sapindaceae, to which the lychee and rambutan also belong. The fruit of the longan is similar to that of the lychee but less aromatic in taste. It is native to tropical Asia and China. Currently, longan crops are grown in southern China, Taiwan, northern Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Australia, the United States, and Mauritius. It is also grown in Bangladesh.

The longan's fruit, when shelled, looks like an eyeball because the black seed peeks through the flesh like an iris or pupil. The seed is small, rounded, firm, and black with an enamel-like lacquer. The thin, tough shell of the fully ripened, recently harvested fruit has a bark-like texture, making it simple to peel by "cracking" the pulp out like a sunflower seed. The fruit becomes less convenient to the shell when the shell has higher moisture content and is more delicate. Premature harvest, variety, weather, or conditions during shipping or storage all affect how fragile the shell is.