Cultivated in the Guangxi Province of Southern China, the green fruit turns brown when dried, and is covered with small pale and black hairs. The dried fruits are part of the daily life in the provinces where it is grown. They are stored and used for drinks, teas, soups, candies, cakes, and crackers that are consumed all year long.
Extract of Luo Han Guo has been favored in China as a sweet curative for centuries, used in many traditional medicines. It is cultivated in parts of the Guangdong, Guangxi, and Guiahou provinces, though it mainly grows in the mountains of Guangxi near Guilin. Guilin supplies over 90 percent of the total commercial production and is considered the home of Luo Han Guo fruit production, with a tradition of processing the fruit that began in the late 19th century.
Locked in the fruit extract are substances called mongrosides, which, as it happens, are about 300 times sweeter than sucrose. They contribute hardly any calories and have potentially healthful side effects to boot.
Mongrosides belong to a group of compounds called triterpene glycosides. Though glycosides tickle our sweet taste buds, the body handles them differently from carbohydrates: Insulin levels do not rise in response to their consumption; they aren’t broken apart to produce energy and thus can’t pack on the pounds.
Luo Han Gua has a slight caramel flavour and is a great substitute for sugar in all recipes.
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