Dragon Fruit

Exotic Food Series

My first encounter with dragon fruit was during breakfast at a hotel in Bangkok. I was intrigued by these cubes of white fruit with evenly spaced little black seeds. Diffidently, i sampled this fruit that looked like small square dominoes. I was rewarded for my “bravery”– it tasted quite nice. The texture was semi-firm, more firm than a melon but less than a pear. The taste was something else: not too sweet but very refreshing.

Later in the day we ended up in Central Supermarket food section. Dragon fruit was the first thing I looked for. Imagine my surprise when under the appropriate label I saw bright pink objects with “scales” like fish. i thought they had been labelled incorrectly. Where was the black and white fruit I had eaten at breafast. A helpful sales assistant, when consulted, pointed further down the aisle. Here there were sliced these same pink fishes sliced in half to reveal glistening white flesh with black seeds.

When I Google searched Dragon Fruit later that night, I was in for another surprise. Dragon fruit is actually a species of cactus. Dragon fruit also goes by the names Pitaya and strawberry pear. It comes in different types which have white, pink or yellow flesh. All types have the same black seeds.

It is a rich source of Vitamin C and calcium but is thankfully low in calories. You can remove the rind/shell with a knife and cut the flesh in desired sizes and shapes. Alternatively you can just scoop out the flesh with a spoon using the rind like a cup.

This fruit can be used in smoothies, fruit salads and desserts. However, I prefer eating it on its own.I was in Bangkok for nearly a week and enjoyed this fruit every day.

Do you like dragon fruit? How do you enjoy it most? Plwase let me know in the comments section below.

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Images courtesy Pixabay