101 in 1001 - Persimmon, Longans, and a Ball of Energy

Persimmon

In the last post I wrote about three different films, and this entry is about three different foods. This is, of course, for the 101 in 1001 list goal:

• 039. Try 10 foods/drinks I haven't tried before.

First up was a fruit that I know has been in my house before, but I've never actually tried for one reason or another: persimmon (the photos above). There are apparently different varieties of these, but the one I tried had a texture that was halfway between a soft pumpkin and an unripe (but still pleasant) peach. The flavour was quite muted but there was a definite sweetness to it. I liked these and will probably eat them again in the future.

Next came another fruit: longans.

Longans

I hadn't actually heard of longans before, but I was told that they're similar to lychees, so decided to get them. (I should point out that I don't like lychees, so that was an odd decision to make, haha).  Longans certainly don't look like lychees on the outside, but they both come from the soapberry family of fruits, and once you get beyond the outer casing the similarity becomes more obvious. They have the same clear colour and texture - something like a gelatinous grape crossed with yokan - and a dark, shiny seed in the middle. 

The flavour, however, is what I think is different. Longans are sweet at first and then have a somewhat mildly spicy aftertaste, in the same way that red bell peppers do, but there's another taste as well that I can't quite put my finger on. They don't have any bitterness to them at all, like lychees do. As with the persimmons, I'd definitely like to have these again, and perhaps lychees too, just in case I've changed my mind about them!

The third and last food for this time wasn't a fruit, but was still made mostly of fruit (and nuts). 

Deliciously Ella Cacao & Almond Energy Ball

These cacao & almond energy balls from Deliciously Ella are amazing. They're vegan (for me, this is important), reasonably healthy, filling, and taste, well, delicious! They have a flavour and texture a bit like brownies, but they're just made with almonds, medjool dates, raw cacao powder, almond butter and coconut oil. They're so good! The best part is that they come sitting on a little piece of card that has a link to the recipe, so you can try making them yourself. I haven't tried it yet, but I will soon!