Dragon Fruit / Pitaya

Also known asPitaya · Pitahaya · Buah Naga · Hylocereus undatus · 火龙果

Name: Dragon fruit, also called pitaya or pitahaya (genus Selenicereus, formerly Hylocereus). The common types are white-fleshed with pink skin (Selenicereus undatus), red-fleshed with pink skin (Selenicereus costaricensis) and yellow-skinned with white flesh (Selenicereus megalanthus).

Description

Dragon fruit is the fruit of a climbing cactus native to Mexico, Central America and northern South America, where it has been eaten for centuries. French colonists are credited with bringing it to Vietnam, which is now one of the world's largest producers, and it has since spread across Southeast Asia, China, Israel and other warm regions.

The plant flowers at night, with large, fragrant white blooms known as “moonflowers.” The fruit has bright pink or yellow skin with leaf-like scales that look like dragon scales, and a juicy, mildly sweet flesh speckled with tiny black seeds, similar in look to kiwi. The flavour is gentle and slightly sweet, so it is often paired with sharper fruits.

Main nutrition value

Dragon fruit provides fibre, vitamin C and magnesium, and the red-fleshed types are rich in betacyanin pigments, the same family of pigments that colour beetroot.

How best to be consumed

Dragon fruit is best served chilled, with its mild flavour brought out by a squeeze of lime.

1. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh with a spoon, or peel and slice it.
2. Chill first, since it tastes best cold.
3. Add cubes to fruit salads, smoothies, yoghurt bowls and salsas.
4. Eat the small black seeds along with the flesh, since they are soft and edible.
5. Pair with lime or other tart fruit, since the flavour is mild.

Overconsumption could cause…

Dragon fruit is safe in ordinary amounts, with a harmless colour effect worth knowing.

1. Pink or red urine or stools after eating red-fleshed dragon fruit, a harmless effect caused by the pigment.
2. Digestive upset, such as loose stools, from eating a lot, because of the fibre and small seeds.
3. Allergic reactions in a small number of people.
4. High sugar intake if many fruits are eaten at once, since the flesh is sweet.

GroupsTropical FruitsSoutheast AsianFresh

Related foodsCalamansiDurianLangsat / DukuMangosteenRambutanSalak / Snake Fruit

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