Longans (龍眼, in Pinyin long2 yan3, in Cantonese long-ngan, meaning "dragon eyes") (Nephelium longanum Cambess) are fruits often used in East Asian soups, snacks, desserts, and sweet-and-sour foods. They are round with a thin, brown-coloured shell. The flesh of the fruit, which surrounds a big, black seed, is white, soft, and juicy.
Longans and lychees come out in around the same time of the year. Dried longan (a.k.a. 圓肉, in Pinyin yuan2 rou4; lit. round meat) are often used in Chinese food therapy and herbal medicine. It is considered to possess a nourishing property. On the contrary, lychees are considered a highly Yang type of food.
