Longan Fruit. How beautiful, dainty, exotic and sweet is this South Eastern Asian fruit? It is a hidden gem that I found in Chinatown section of New York City; sold on every street corner by the food vendors.

At first glance I thought this small round brown fruit was lychee, but to my surprise it was not. Lychee is very similar in size, texture and taste, although longan fruit has a smooth outer shell. The longan is indigenous to China and also Southeast Asia. Packed with essential nutrients, this fruit is an excellent addition to your daily diet. It has a similar taste and texture to grapes, but a different type of sweetness. it also contains a small pit inside that is called the “dragon eye.”

Also known as the euphoria fruit, this sweet succulent fruit is very tasty and enjoyable to eat, and as well provides many benefits. With higher vitamin C content, the fruit is useful in safeguarding the body from colds and also flu, and enables to improve the defense mechanisms. Longan fruit is especially recognized to profit the fragile skin near to the eyes and reduce peeling giving you a more youthful appearance.They also  aid in preventing any kind of stomach ache, bacterial infections as well as enhance defense mechanisms too.  Longan fruit is packed with essential nutrients like potassium, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus. Not bad for such a small, cute fruit.

So depending on where you live, if you can get your hands on this lovely fruit, I suggest you give it a try, you will be very pleased. And as always, Enjoy!