Longan – Dragon Eye

Every week my awesome Chinese massage therapist gives me a different Asian fruit to try.  I get all sorts of different fruit that I have never seen before.  My massage therapist, Su, is very proud of her culture and is so happy when I try foods from her culture.  Last week Su gave me something called, Longan, which is also called “Dragon’s Eye.”  Apparently, it is called “Dragon’s Eye” because it resembles an dragon’s eyeball when the fruit is peeled.  There is a black seed inside that shows through the translucent flesh.  Like a pupil.  The seed is fairly small, round and hard.  When Longan is ripe it is easy to peel.  It tastes sort of like a grape and sort of like a lychee.  Most of the Longan fruit is grown in China, but these were grown in Florida.  I am totally a fan of this fruit and am grateful to Su for teaching me about foods from the Chinese culture.

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