Langsat / Duku

Also known asLangsat · Duku · Lansium domesticum · Longkong

Name: Langsat and duku (Lansium domesticum). The two names refer to the two main cultivated types of the same species: langsat, smaller with thinner skin, and duku, larger with thicker skin and sweeter flesh. The fruit is also sold under names such as longkong in Thailand.

Description

Langsat is native to western Southeast Asia, from southern Thailand and the Malay Peninsula to Indonesia and the Philippines, where it has grown wild and been cultivated since ancient times. It belongs to the mahogany family, and the trees have spread through trade routes across the region and to Central America and Hawaii. Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines are the main producers.

The fruits grow in clusters on the trunk and branches. Each has a thin, pale yellow, slightly furry skin and translucent white segments that are juicy, sweet and slightly sour, similar to a mix of grape and grapefruit. Langsat typically contains a sticky latex in the skin and a bitter seed, whereas duku has thicker skin and less latex, and is generally sweeter.

Main nutrition value

Langsat and duku provide vitamin C, carbohydrate, fibre and small amounts of B vitamins, with a sweet and mildly tangy flavour.

How best to be consumed

Langsat and duku are eaten fresh, peeled by hand.

1. Peel the skin and eat the translucent segments, avoiding the sticky latex.
2. Discard the bitter seed, which should not be chewed.
3. Chill the fruit for a refreshing snack.
4. Add peeled segments to fruit salads, desserts or drinks.
5. Buy firm, unbruised fruit and eat quickly, since the skin turns brown within a few days.

Overconsumption could cause…

Langsat and duku are safe in ordinary amounts, with the main caution being the seeds and latex.

1. Bitter taste and stomach upset from chewing the seed or eating the pith around it.
2. Sticky latex irritating the lips or skin in some people, particularly with langsat.
3. Digestive discomfort from a large amount of fruit.
4. Allergic reactions in rare cases.

GroupsTropical FruitsSoutheast AsianFresh

Related foodsCalamansiDragon Fruit / PitayaDurianMangosteenRambutanSalak / Snake Fruit

Wikipedia — Lansium domesticum, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lansium_domesticum