Three best times to eat longan

It is the peak harvest season of longan, and advertisements for Hung Yen longan are everywhere. However, according to the leader of the Department of Industry and Trade of Hung Yen, there are many types of longan that are imitating Hung Yen longan to deceive consumers.

So how to distinguish genuine Hung Yen longan from fake longan?

At the Hung Yen longan week held in Hanoi, Mr. Nguyen Van Tho, Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Hung Yen province, said that Hung Yen longan is a royal longan, ranked in the top 13 of the list of 50 most delicious fruits in Vietnam.

This is one of the main crops of Hung Yen, the area of ​​longan in the whole province reaches 30,000 hectares, of which nearly 170 hectares are grown according to VietGAP method. However, the output of longan this year is estimated to only reach 40,000 tons, down 10-15% compared to the 2016 crop due to unfavorable weather.

Hung Yen longan harvest lasts about 3 months, divided into 3 batches. Batch 1 is early longan harvested from July 20 to July 30; Batch 2 is main season longan from September 7 to 15; Batch 3 is late ripe longan harvested until the end of October.

It's longan season, so Hung Yen longan is often imitated by longan from other localities.

Mr. Tho shared that in the market today, there are many types of longan grown in other localities that imitate Hung Yen longan, affecting the brand as well as the reputation of Hung Yen longan. In particular, consumers cannot buy the right type of longan they like.

Therefore, Mr. Tho said that to buy genuine Hung Yen longan, consumers need to pay attention to the external characteristics to distinguish.

For example, Hung Yen longan is round, has a yellow-brown skin, thick flesh, and is drained. When peeling off a thin, smooth layer of skin, it reveals a thick, clear white flesh. When put in the mouth, it has a moderately sweet and fragrant taste, and the longan flesh is also very crispy.

Hung Yen longan has a yellow-brown skin.

In particular, inside the longan pulp there are small, shiny black seeds. Bringing the longan fruit up to your nose to smell, you will feel a very distinctive scent, not a strong aroma but a gentle, pure and cool scent... Hung Yen longan is currently priced at 42,000 VND/kg.

In addition to the external sensory distinction, Hung Yen longan has now been granted a geographical indication registration certificate by the Department of Intellectual Property (Ministry of Science and Technology) (applicable to 4 areas of Hung Yen city, Khoai Chau district, Kim Dong district, Tien Lu district). Accordingly, longan brought to the market is packed in blue mesh bags with labels and stamps of origin indicating geographical indication.

Thin skin; thick, drained, crispy flesh, light aroma, moderate sweetness... are the characteristics of genuine Hung Yen longan.

Based on these characteristics, consumers will easily choose genuine Hung Yen longan and avoid buying fake longan at expensive prices, he shared.

In fact, in the current market, longan is sold in abundance with prices ranging from 30,000 - 60,000 VND/kg because it is the peak harvest season. However, from street vendors to traditional markets or fruit shops, everywhere you can see advertisements for selling Hung Yen longan. Therefore, consumers are lost in a "maze" of not knowing which is genuine Hung Yen longan and which is fake Hung Yen longan.

According to VNN