Eat dragon fruit and get your Vitamin C
Rich in vitamins: The dragon fruit on sale; Red Pitaya, ready to eat; dragon fruit orchard. The fruit is rich in vitamins, especially Vitamin C, and low in calories. Picture: BT/Liz Price
Liz Price
KUALA LUMPUR
Sunday, November 16, 2008
DRAGON fruit are amongst the more unusual yet attractive fruit, their purple red colour and size makes them stand out on the shelves. Cutting into them you find white or sometimes purple flesh with tiny black seeds. They are becoming increasing popular in shops in Southeast Asia as they are commercially grown.
The dragon fruit have different names in different countries, and many of these names include the legendary creature, such as fire dragon fruit, dragon pearl fruit, as well as strawberry pear. Their more scientific name is Pitaya.
They are actually native to Mexico and Central and South America so are immigrants to Asia. They date back to the time of the Aztecs and have been documented in Aztec literature since the 13th century. They were probably brought to Vietnam by the French, and then spread across Southeast Asia.
These sweet pitayas are the fruit of different cactus species. The epiphytic Hylocereus are climbing cacti and grow as a vine. Wooden frames or even trees can be used as a support. The plants only blooms at night, they have large white fragrant flowers of the typical cactus flower shape, and up to 30cm long. The flowers bloom for one night only and have a sweet fragrance. Because of this they are often called "Moonflower" or "Queen of the Night". The dragon fruit sets on the cactus-like trees 30 to 50 days after flowering, and turns from green to red.
Hylocereus have adapted to live in dry tropical climates with a moderate amount of rain. Nowadays they are cultivated in Southeast Asian countries including Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. They have been growing in Malaysia for the past decade and seem to survive the heavy rain. The fruit are available all year round, either grown locally or imported from neighbouring countries when they are in season. There can be five to six harvests a year. There are some farms in Vietnam that produce around 25 tonnes of fruit per hectare every year. One fruit can weigh from 150 to 600 grammes.
The ones commonly seen in Asia are the Red Pitaya, a red-skinned fruit with white flesh. The skin is slightly leathery or waxy, and has stumpy green leaves. You don't eat the skin, but opening up the fruit reveals white flesh dotted with black seeds. In contrast a more expensive variety has flesh that is almost dark purple in colour.
The dragon fruit reminds me of Kiwi fruit, probably due to the fact they both have small crunchy seeds. Also I eat both in a similar way. I cut them in half around the middle, and then scoop out the flesh with a teaspoon. It reminds me how I used soft boiled eggs as a child when I would cut off the top of the egg and spoon out the contents.
Alternatively you can cut the fruit into rings like a pineapple, and then you have attractive circles of white flesh ringed by purple skin. Another way of presentation is to cut the fruit into cubes. The flesh of the dragon fruit doesn't have a great deal of taste, it is mildly sweet. I think it is best eaten chilled as this improves the flavour. The fruit is rich in vitamins, especially Vitamin C, and low in calories. It also contains fibres and minerals, notably phosphorus and calcium. Red Pitayas are richer in the former, yellow ones in the latter. In Taiwan, diabetics use the fruit as a food substitute for rice and as a source of dietary fibre.
The fruit may be converted into juice; the flowers can be eaten or steeped as tea. I haven't tried any of these products so I can't comment on them. But I do enjoy eating the fruit in its natural state, and it is a "clean" fruit to eat by virtue of the fact you can eat it with a spoon. The Brunei Times
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