Langsat (longkong): everything about this fruit

In Asian countries grows a huge variety of different fruits, unfamiliar to Europeans. Among them are instances of genuine interest - I want to get more information about them.

One of these unfamiliar exotic berries is langsat, which has been cultivated in Asia for several centuries.

What is langsat

Langsat - fruit tree, the birthplace of which is considered the territory of modern Malaysia. Gradually, the cultivation area has expanded significantly, covering most of the countries of Southeast Asia. Today, in addition to Malaysia, the tree grows in the Philippines, in Thailand, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

But the growing area of ​​langsat is not limited to Southeast Asia - the tree can be found in the USA (on the Hawaiian Islands), it is popular in Mexico, Australia and other countries.

Did you know? The Thai people (the indigenous people of Thailand) were so fond of the fruits of langsat that they made this culture a symbol of one of the Thai provinces. Image of berries langsat placed on the coat of arms of the province of Narathiwat.

The exotic plant has other popular names - lancy, long kong and "dragon eye".

Fruit grows on tall slender trees (from 8 to 16 meters tall). The spreading crown of the tree is formed by rather large feathery leaves, the length of which can reach 45 cm. The bark has a rough, brown or yellowish color.

In the flowering phase, the plant is covered with beautiful light yellow flowers, gathered in clusters. Then large fruits begin to form. On one tree from 8 to 20 clusters develop, on each of which grows on average up to 20 berries. The appearance of the clusters of lancy is reminiscent of grapes.

The plant is valuable precisely for its fragrant fruits:

• their diameter varies between 2.5 and 5 cm;
• the shape of the fruit is either round or oval, a bit like a new potato;
• the peel is colored pale brown or greyish yellow, it is thin, but rather dense due to the presence of a latex substance;
• translucent pulp;
• with its structure, the "inside" of the fruit is similar to garlic - a long kong is also divided into slices;
• inside each berry, two hard oblong bones develop;
• the fruit has a slightly sticky texture, amazing aroma and interesting taste. In combination with bitter seeds, the flesh gives an absolutely unique taste that is difficult to compare with anything. It is sweet and sour, like a mixture of banana, grapefruit and grapes. The taste of unripe fruit is excessively sour.

Do not confuse fruit langsat and longan - they are similar in appearance, but they are different plants.

The tree begins to give fruit only after 15 years. But when it becomes an adult, it bears fruit twice a year (in the middle of summer and winter). Langsat harvested, stick, shaking the fruit from the tree. You can also shoot them manually. If it is difficult to reach grapes, they are cut off.

How to choose the langsat

If you are going to buy Lancy, carefully consider and carefully feel the bunch:

• ripe fruit can be distinguished by a smooth and taut peel;
• berries must be firmly fixed on the branch;
• there should be no accumulations of ants inside the bunch, and there should be no dents, cracks or any spots on the skin.

Despite the density of the peel, it is very easy to peel the fruit. To do this, at the base of the fruit with your fingers you need to squeeze the skin. The fruit will open, after which you must carefully remove the peel.

Important! Be careful when cleaning the berries! Peel langsat contains sticky juice. If this substance gets on your skin or clothing, the process of washing off or washing will be very difficult. Knowing this feature of the fruit, people in tropical countries use rubber gloves when cleaning it.

How to store langsat

A longkong, torn from a tree, in the conditions of a room, decays quickly enough - already for 3-4 days. Such rapid spoilage is associated with a high content in the pulp of sugars. An ideal place to store a long kong is a refrigerator, where the temperature is set to + 10 ... +13 ° С. In such conditions, the fruit will remain fresh until a week or even two.

It is not recommended to freeze langsat, because after thawing it will lose its consistency. But canned fruit is stored for a long time, almost without losing their taste. Fruits canned in syrup, pre-peeled and peeled.

We present the most popular recipe for canning this exotic fruit.

1. Take a large cluster of ripe fruit and peel them.
2. In a deep vessel with water, dissolve 5 tbsp. l sugar sand. In the resulting liquid for 40 minutes, lower peeled and peeled langsat film.
3. After the specified time, transfer the already pickled slices to a dry towel and air for 5-6 minutes.
4. Then immerse the lobules in the sugar syrup, additionally adding a few thin slices of lemon and grated lemon zest. You can also add a little vanilla if you wish. Boil the composition of 30-40 minutes.
5. In a standard way, sterilize the cans and distribute the cooked delicacy over them.
6. Roll up the covers, warm up. Canned long kong is ready!

Did you know? In 2013, the Vietnamese markets realized a recordnumber of clusters of lancy. And all because in that year there were unprecedented torrential rains all over Vietnam, which increased tree yields tenfold.

Calorie and energy value of the product

The calorie in the "dragon eye" is low. The energy value per 100 grams of Asian fruit is 60 kcal, of which:

• 1.31 g are proteins;
• 0.1 g - fat;
• 14.04 g - carbohydrates;
• 1.1 g - fiber;
• 82.75 ml - water;
• 0.7 g - ash.

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Vitamin complex is represented as follows:

• thiamine - 30 mcg;
• Riboflavin - 140 mcg;
• ascorbic acid - 84 mg;
• Nicotine equivalent - 0.3 mg.

The composition of langsat also includes macro-and micronutrients. Per 100 grams of raw berries account for:

• potassium - 266 mg;
• calcium - 1 mg;
• magnesium - 10 mg;
• phosphorus - 21 mg;
• iron - 130 mcg;
• manganese - 50 mcg;
• copper - 170 mcg;
• Zinc - 50 mcg.

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In addition, in the composition of the fruit are essential amino acids:

• arginine - 0.035 g;
• valine - 0.059 g;
• histidine - 0.014 g;
• isoleucine - 0.026 g;
• leucine - 0.055 g;
• lysine - 0.044 g;
• methionine - 0.013 g;
• threonine - 0.034 g;
• phenylalanine - 0.04 g

The number of replaceable amino acids per 100 grams of fruit is:

• alanine - 0.158 g;
• aspartic acid - 0.125 g;
• glycine - 0.043 g;
• glutamic acid - 0.208 g;
• Proline - 0.043 g;
• serine - 0.049 g;
• Tyrosine - 0.026 g.

Did you know? Fragrant smoke that comes from dry bark "dragon eyes" in the process of burning serves as the best repeller from mosquitoes and other insects. This method of combating parasites is massively practiced in tropical countries.

Useful properties and treatment

Regular consumption of long kong helps to improve many processes in the body and is used in the treatment of a number of ailments.

Asian fruit is widely used in folk medicine:

1. The saturation of langsat with ascorbic acid is five times its amount in citrus. This makes the fruit more effective than citrus fruits in the treatment of viral and catarrhal ailments (especially with SARS, influenza and vitamin deficiency).
2. Ascorbic acid also promotes better absorption of iron, thus acting as a valuable tool in the treatment of anemia.
3. Various decoctions with the addition of pulp "dragon eyes" are used to cure malaria. In tropical countries, hundreds of people die of malaria every year, so the key benefit of the fruit is its ability to prevent the spread of this terrible disease.
4. Due to the high concentration in the berries of macro- and microelements, as well as essential amino acids, it is possible to maintain the body in a constant tone during the period of active work during the day. Fructose and sucrose in the composition of the berries improve brain activity.
5. Vitamin B2 has a positive effect on vision, so langsat is shown to people who have been working for a long time at a computer monitor, as well as those whose work is related to driving a car.
6. Organic acids that are present in the composition of the fruit, improve skin condition.

Harm of langasat and contraindications

Berries have contraindications:

1. Langsat can cause harm to people with individual intolerance to the product.
2. In addition, it is undesirable to use berries without prior heat treatment to people prone to various allergies, since the juice from the pulp of the long cong can cause a strong allergic reaction.
3. Completely exclude from your menu the "dragon eye" is needed for diabetes, because the fruit contains a lot of sugar.
4. Controlling the amount of berries eaten is also necessary for healthy people, because overeating can cause serious problems in the body, for example, to provoke a strong intestinal upset.
5. In other cases, the abuse of pulp leads to an undesirable increase in body temperature. Such a temperature should not be attempted to be shot down on its own, it is better to immediately seek help from doctors.

Important! The bones of the longkong should never be consumed during pregnancy. They negatively affect the fetus and can cause miscarriage.

Use in cooking

The pulp of the fruit langsat can be eaten fresh or candied.

In addition, in Asia it is used to prepare national dishes. Fruit applied:

• in the creation of confectionery products, giving the desserts a special exoticism;
• on the basis of the pulp of lancy, a variety of compotes, jams, syrups are prepared, added to ice cream;
• ripe fruit is suitable for making refreshing drinks - you need to mix the pulp of berries with yogurt or ice cream. Fresh from the "dragon eye" perfectly quench your thirst;
• ground and mixed with sugar pulp is used by confectioners as a filling for baking;
• Lancy can make components of any meat dish or side dish - on its basis, you can create various hot and sweet sauces that are served to a bird or fish.

Here are some more options for using berries in cooking.

Spicy Meat Sauce

Ingredients:

• fruits lancyum - 5 pieces;
• vegetable oil - 5 tbsp. l .;
• red hot pepper (chili) - 1 piece;
• garlic - half heads;
• distilled water - 120 ml;
• rich cream and salt - to taste.

Cooking:

1. Pour some vegetable oil (about 5 tablespoons) into the heated pan.
2. Chilli rinse thoroughly and dry. Using a knife, free the pepper from the seeds, then chop and transfer to the pan with butter.
3. While the chili is roasting, peel the garlic, crush each clove with the flat side of the knife and transfer to the pan.
4. With langsat berries, remove the peel and remove all the bones.
5. When the garlic gets golden color, add the prepared pulp of lancy.
6. As soon as the fruits lose their volume, make the fire medium and gently pour 120 ml of water into the pan. Cover everything with a lid and leave to stew until the liquid has completely evaporated.
7. Mix the cooled mixture with salted to taste with rich cream. The sauce is ready, you can serve it to meat dishes.

Casserole

Main ingredients:

• fruits lancy - the amount depends on your preferences;
• rice cereal - 200 g;
• milk - 400 ml;
• proteins from 2-3 eggs;
• 1 orange (only zest is useful);
• juice of half a lemon;
• powdered sugar and granulated sugar to taste.

Cooking:

1. Boil a specified amount of any white rice in milk.
2. In a separate bowl, mix powdered sugar, lemon juice and a grated orange rind. Add chilled rice to the mixture.
3. Grease the form with high sides with vegetable oil, sprinkle with flour. Lay out a slide of rice-citrus mixture.
4. Furry the pulp of langsat, then simmer it in a pan with sugar. Separately, whisk the egg whites and gently mix with the fruit syrup. Add the mixture to the rice.
5. Bake the souffle in the oven for 25 minutes at a temperature not exceeding 180 ° C.
6. Let the prepared dessert cool. Using a pastry bag, decorate the casserole with butter cream. On top of that, add candied or caramelized slices of lancy.

Important! When using longkong for culinary purposes, it is important to know that the heat treatment destroys the consistency, taste and aroma of berries. Therefore, the fruit must be added to the dishes at the very end of cooking.

Being in the fruit markets of Thailand, Malaysia or other Asian countries, do not disregard the amazing fruits of langsat. Be sure to get yourself a bunch or at least a few fruits of this exotic fruit, because now you know what kind of taste it has and how it can be cooked.

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