Fresh Thai Long Kong/ Langsat fruit
Longkong is the fruit produce of the Lamyai tree, and is mainly grown in the North of Thailand, in the regions of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Chiang Dao. Longkong requires a somewhat cooler climate than most other fruits found in Thailand, and these mountainous areas are always much cooler than the South.
The dark outer skin is almost crispy, and is easy to remove by pushing a thumbnail through and simply peeling it off. The inner flesh of the Longkong is white, almost translucent, and very soft. The taste of Longkong is very similar to the taste of a lychee, in fact, both fruits are comparable in almost every way, although a fully ripe Longkong is somewhat sweeter than a lychee.
Longkong is mostly eaten fresh, with nothing added, usually bought by the kilo and consumed in a single sitting with the fruit being served at room temperature.
However, there is one famous Thai dish which relies upon the Longkong to provide flavour, and this is Khao Nieow Lam Yai, a kind of desert or sweet meat, consisting of sticky rice, flavoured with coconut and Longkong. .
Longkong has a fairly short harvest period, from June until August. This combined with the fact it is only grown in a limited area, means that it is almost impossible to purchase fresh when out of season.
This fruit is only usually available between the months of August and October. Outside these months, it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to procure it from Thailand.
Fresh produce of Thailand.
