Of all the exotic fruits, the dragon fruit stands out the most with its extraordinary appearance. The pitahaya originated in the tropical climate zones of Central America. It is now also cultivated in many Asian countries.
origin
The dragon fruit belongs to the cactus family and originally comes from Central America. There it grows in the coastal lowlands and also in the high altitudes of Nicaragua, Guatemala and Colombia. For good growth, the plant needs temperatures between 35 and 40 ºC and a certain annual rainfall.
The most commonly cultivated species is Hylocereus undatus. The skin of the ripe dragon fruit is bright pink and the flesh is white or pink (hylocereus monacanthus). Hylocereus megalanthus with a yellow skin and white flesh is less common. The climbing cactus grows several meters high and climbs walls or trees with its adhesive roots.
use
The fully aromatic dragon fruit is best enjoyed raw. To do this, proceed as follows:
- The skin of the ripe fruit can be easily peeled off, it is best to start here at the base of the blossom,
- Dice the flesh and enjoy as a fruit salad
or
- Halve the fruit lengthwise, creating two decorative-looking dessert bowls,
- just scoop out the flesh.
growing countries
Nowadays, the dragon fruit is grown in many tropical climates, especially in Asian countries such as China, Vietnam, Sri Lanka or Thailand, but also in Israel. The dragon fruit comes to the German fruit trade from June to December from Israel and Vietnam, and deliveries from Thailand and Nicaragua reach us all year round.
The color pigments extracted from the skin of the dragon fruit are used in the manufacture of cosmetics and food coloring. In the producing countries, the abundant dragon fruit is often used to decorate buffets or made into soft drinks. It is possible to grow the pitahaya plants yourself, but you will still have to buy the fruit.
tips and tricks
The juicy, sweet and sour, refreshing-tasting flesh of the pitahaya can be processed very well into smoothies or frozen into ice cream.