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Longkong

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Longkong and its cousin langsat: clusters of small, pale fruit with sweet, translucent segments, from the south.

Longkong

Longkong and langsat are close relatives that grow in bunches like grapes. Each small, round, beige fruit holds five translucent segments that are sweet with a gentle tartness. Longkong comes mainly from the south, especially Narathiwat, while langsat is also grown in Uttaradit in the north.

Pronunciationlong-kong
FlavourSweet and slightly tart, like a mild grapefruit
SeasonJuly to October
EatenFresh, peeled by hand

Longkong and langsat

Longkong is the more popular of the two: it has thicker skin with no sticky sap, few or no seeds, and sweeter flesh. Langsat has thinner skin that releases a sticky white latex when peeled, and its segments can taste slightly bitter if you bite the seeds.

How to eat them

Squeeze the fruit gently at the stem end until the skin splits, then peel it back and pull the segments apart. Eat the flesh and spit out any seeds; they are bitter.

Choosing and storing

Choose bunches with plump, golden-beige fruit without black spots. They keep for only a few days at room temperature; refrigerate them to stretch it to a week.

In Thai markets

Narathiwat's Longkong Tanyongmat, from Ra-ngae district, is a registered geographical indication product and is prized for its sweet, firm, rather dry flesh. Uttaradit in the north is better known for langsat and holds fairs for both fruits in season. Good growers cut the fruit from the bunch by hand rather than pulling it, which keeps the skins intact. Whole bunches cost more than loose fruit, which has usually been picked over or has dropped from the stem.

Duku and other relatives

A third type, duku, is also sold in the south. It is larger and rounder, with thicker skin, fewer fruit per bunch and very sweet flesh. In the Philippines the same fruit is called lanzones, and it is common in Malaysia and Indonesia too. Fresh longkong is rarely exported, so outside the region you will mostly find it in Asian grocers that import from Southeast Asia during the season.

Cook’s tip

Rub a little oil on your fingers before peeling langsat. It stops the sticky sap from clinging.

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