Longan wine is a Southeast Asian

fermented drink This is a list of fermented foods, which are foods produced or preserved by the action of microorganisms. In this context, Fermentation in food processing, fermentation typically refers to the fermentation of sugar to ethanol, alcohol using yeas ...

made of the fruit of

Dimocarpus longan ''Dimocarpus longan'', commonly known as the longan () and dragon's eye, is a tropical tree species that produces edible fruit. It is one of the better-known tropical members of the soapberry family Sapindaceae, to which the lychee and rambut ...

, more commonly called longan or dark-skinned dragon's eye. While originating in China, it has also become a speciality in a number of locations in Southeast Asia such as the province of Bac Lieu.

History

The longan fruit has long been grown and produced as wine along the

Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic grou ...

especially in the provinces of Xinjiang, Gansu, Shanxi and Hebei. It gained popularity in the later half of the 20th century. Thus, the white wine of dried longan from China's Greatwall Wine Co. was a silver medal winner at the 14th International Wine-Tasting Meeting in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1983. Since then, production of longan wine has spread to Southeast Asia. Thus, since 2015, it has been developed commercially on a small-scale in Thailand and in

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

Preparation

Longan liqueur is made by macerating the longan flesh in alcohol. In Southeast Asia, particularly in Northern Thailand, longan fruit is overabundant when in season and therefore it is dried and processed into various products, among which longan wine. This research was thus aimed to develop the high

antioxidant Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals. This can lead to polymerization and other chain reactions. They are frequently added to industrial products, such as fuels and lubricant ...

wine from dried longan seed. Fermentation temperature is suggested at 30°C due to the shorter time of production.

Health

Longan wine is much sweeter than other varieties and could therefore be discouraged in the case of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

. However, longan seed is a great source of Antioxidants and it is naturally extracted during

fermentation Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...

. As a traditional drink, it is even recommended for men's health by Government of Bac Lieu province in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Longan Wine Fermented drinks Tropical agriculture Cambodian alcoholic drinks Malaysian alcoholic drinks Non-timber forest products Drinking culture