Il Longan, fruit originally from Indochina, contains Vitamin C and trace elements. Rich in ffood ibres useful to facilitate the work of the intestine, it also helps the memory and the heart. Let's find out better.
> Calories, nutritional values and properties of longan
Description of the fruit
The longan (Dimocarpus longan) can be considered more or less as a lesser "cousin" of the much more famous litchi and rambutan, also belonging to the Sapindaceae family.
Rarely present on the stalls of ethnic shops or exotic fruit markets in Europe, it is instead a an important fruit for the cuisines of the countries of the area of origin, or the Indochinese one, and for some areas of the Caribbean, Australia and the United States.
It differs from the aforementioned cousins for its rind, brown and smooth, for its size, generally smaller than the other two fruits, and for the taste, with a distinguishable aroma, less floral and sometimes comparable to the scent of certain mushrooms.
Longan, ally of
Skin, blood, heart, spleen, liver, memory.
Calories, nutritional values and properties of longan
Longan contains 60 kcal per 100 g.
In addition, 100 g of product contain:
- 0.1 g fat
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Sodium 0 mg
- Potassium 266 mg
- G carbohydrates 15
- Fiber 1.1 g
- 1.3 g protein
The fruit is a perfect source of vitamin C and contains good doses of riboflavin. Contains a wide range of trace elements among which potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and copper stand out. It has a very low fat content while it contains dietary fibers useful to facilitate the work of the intestine.
In Chinese folk medicine it is considered a food that brings heat and can help the cardiovascular system, especially the spleen. Has calming and relaxing properties, so much so that it helps in case of palpitations, restless sleep, panic attacks, nervous hunger.
It is a good antioxidant and prevents the signs of aging and is considered useful for the absorption of iron into the blood. Ownership is attributed to him antifungals, pain relievers, toning, anti-inflammatory.
The longan among the remedies for the health of the circulatory system: discover the others
Contraindications of longan
The seeds are so rich in saponin to be used in the countries of origin for the washing clothes. Therefore it is good to use caution and avoid ingestion.
Curiosity
The name literally means "Dragon's eye".
There is a rather rare variety of longan called “green longan”, greenish and with a studded skin, it is renowned for its unique flavor.
Studies published in the magazines Molecules and Innovative Food Science end Emerging Technology report the presence in the longan of proteins capable of raise the level of the immune system and give the fruit the ability to prevent and fight some forms of cancer.
How to eat longan
First of all it is good to know how to recognize the right degree of maturity of the longan: the best indicator is the skin, which must not be completely soft.
The fruit must not be cracked nor must it have purple or brown spots, furthermore the pulp must be juicy and not dry, and as transparent as possible.
Once peeled the fruit can be eaten fresh or dehydrated: in that case the pulp will become completely brown, reminiscent of sultanas, and the flavor will caramelize reminiscent of that of dates.
these longan dried they can be added to bread as real candied fruit or they can be infused for rather exotic teas.
In addition to this, ice creams, sorbets, juices, liqueurs are produced with the longan; but it can also be used as an ingredient for soups and sweet and sour sauces typical of traditional Chinese and Thai cuisines.
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