Differences and Similarities of Lychees, Rambutans and Longans
Presented by In The Weeds
By Kimlai Yingling
I tried my first rambutan during a layover in Thailand when my mom and I were heading to Vietnam many years ago. I’m a huge fan of Lychees, Longans and Rambutans. All three tropical fruits are indicative to Asia, and if you are familiar with the trio you can easily tell them apart. However, I run into people all the time who try to convince me that rambutans are lychees and when I bring up longans they’ve never heard of them. Here are some similarities and differences.
SIMLIARITIES
•All 3 have white flesh.
•All 3 have a seed in the middle. I recommend not eating the seed but if you must just know the seeds are crazy hard and not edible.
•All 3 grow on trees, can be eaten out of a can or straight off a tree branch.
•All 3 when mixed with alcohol taste alike. The fruit sitting at the bottom of a lychee martini may very well be a longan as they are interchangeable.
DIFFERENCES
•The rambutan is a hearty looking piece of fruit and is comparable to the size of a golf ball. Its outer skin is red with soft yellowish & red prickly pokers covering the entire fruit. The flesh is white with a sweet, creamy, and rich flowery taste. You may have seen meat & cheese trays with these fruits cut in half because they compliment platters really well in both flavor and looks.
•The lychee is a tad bit smaller than the rambutan. It has a reddish sometimes beige outer skin but it is rough, with no prickly pokers. The outside texture reminds me of how an elephant's skin looks. The lychee flesh is very similar to the rambutan but the taste is not as rich or creamy. The flesh is white and again, you will find a seed in the middle. The lychee is not as sweet. It has just the right balance of not to sweet and not to tart, that I could eat a pound of them without feeling full!
•The longan has a light brown smooth outer skin. It is also called the dragon eye fruit. They are smaller than both the rambutan and lychee. The flesh is white and there is a perfectly round small black seed in the middle, hence the name, dragon eye fruit. While they all have a black seed in the middle, the ratio of seed to fruit is almost perfect in a longan and it looks like an eyeball when cut in half. This fruit has a more tart and distinctive flavor.
All three fruits can be found fresh or in cans at most Asian markets. I’ve seen mainly rambutans and lychees at western markets which is probably why a lot of people aren’t that familiar with longans. However, all three can be paired with fruits, cheeses and wines. Added to salads, ice creams, yogurt parfaits and savory dishes. Enjoy, explore and happy eating.
Kimlai is a culinary content producer residing in Los Angeles, CA. She has appeared on The Hallmark Channel “Home and Family”, KTLA, The Today Show, as an on screen culinary expert in Cooking Channels, Food: Fact or Fiction and most recently the host/culinary expert of “Cooking in the Comments” on All Recipes. Her articles and foodie videos have been featured on MSN, AOL, Entrepreneur Magazine and The Daily Meal. She loves sharing her journey and knowledge about food and creating recipes that show people how to eat with a purpose.
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