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Dragon Fruit (pitaya)

March 31, 2010 by Jennifer Che 37 Comments

Dragon Fruit
Have you ever seen a dragon fruit?  This exotic, beautiful fruit, also known as the pitaya, actually comes from a cactus plant.  I saw this on the streets of Chinatown in New York this past weekend.  Even though I had no idea what it was, I was drawn to its exotic and beautiful color.

I had to buy one.
Dragon Fruit
After doing some research, I realized that this stuff is truly a superfood.  Not only is it low in calories and high in fiber, it’s packed with vitamins and antioxidants.  Studies have confirmed the idea that has been floating around for awhile, that dragon fruit actually helps lower blood glucose levels in those with hyperglycemia (elevated glucose levels).  Furthermore, Anand-Swarup et al demonstrated in rats that dragon fruit “increased the oxidative defense and protected aorta from hyperglycemic damage in rats in whom diabetes was induced.”
Dragon Fruit
Because it’s a tropical fruit (native to Central America but widely grown in Southeast Asia), dragon fruit is relatively rare in the East Coast.  Even in Chinatown, I paid $7 for the one fruit!

How to Eat a Dragon Fruit
A dragon fruit is ready to eat when the skin yields slightly when pressed, similar to a mango.  It tastes better when chilled, so I put mine in the refrigerator overnight.
Dragon Fruit
First, cut the dragon fruit in half.  So pretty!  Looks like cookies & cream ice cream inside!
Dragon Fruit
Slice it up, and you can eat it plain if you want. The flavor is rather light and a bit bland.  It’s mostly water inside (after all, it is a cactus fruit!).  You can eat the seeds.  It’s similar to a kiwi in some ways, but much less tart, much less sweet, and much less flavorful over all.  The flesh is pretty soft, soft enough to scoop with a spoon.
Dragon Fruit
I found that it tasted much better if I just tossed the cubes with a bit of lemon juice. I squeezed half a lemon over the entire bunch.  I also added just a tiny bit of sea salt to bring out the flavor (don’t add too much or else it begins to taste kinda salty!).  I actually bet it would taste fantastic if mixed with other fruits in a fruit salad.  It would present beautifully as well.
Dragon Fruit
It’s refreshing, light, and for some reason, I feel really good after eating it.  Maybe it’s part-psychological, but I feel really healthy – well hydrated, full, and satisfied.

It’s not the most flavorful of fruits, but it’s super healthy, fights a myriad of diseases, and is just so pretty to look at!
Dragon Fruit

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Filed Under: Vegan, Vegetarian

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Comments

  1. Divina Pe says

    March 31, 2010 at 1:44 am

    That is gorgeous. I love dragon fruit. I always eat it plain. I should try it with lemon juice and salt next time. 🙂

    Reply
  2. MaryMoh says

    March 31, 2010 at 4:33 am

    Oh…I really miss this fruit here. I love the red type. I just eat it plain too. My friend made a very lovely red drink out of it…beautiful and delicious.

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says

    March 31, 2010 at 7:56 am

    The red variety tastes better as they tend to be sweeter than the white variety. Here in Singapore, they are sold almost all year round.

    There’s another exotic one called snake skin fruit that is wonderful as well, crunchy and sweet with a tang of sour.

    Reply
  4. ovenhaven says

    March 31, 2010 at 11:32 am

    I love dragon fruit! I used to think it looked really weird, but ever since I tried it, it’s a permanent item on my fruit salad each time we have a potluck 🙂

    Reply
  5. www.dhaleb.com says

    March 31, 2010 at 3:26 pm

    Every time I’m in Chinatown I always see these little suckers but never knew what they were. And now I do!

    Thanks for enlightening me 🙂

    Reply
  6. Sarah Jio says

    March 31, 2010 at 4:54 pm

    Oh my goodness, what a fun post! I’ve never had dragon fruit, but want to now! I am the health blogger for Glamour magazine. I’d love to post this, with a photo and link on my blog for Glamour tomorrow. I’ll give you attribution for the photo, and send some traffic your way. hope that’s OK! 🙂 Thank you. (Such a pretty blog you have, by the way!)

    Reply
  7. Tiny Urban Kitchen says

    March 31, 2010 at 5:44 pm

    Thanks for all your comments! Maybe I’ll have to seek out a red one next time!

    Sarah Jio – you’re welcome to post a picture and a link back to my blog. Please do not copy the entire text of this post though. Thanks!

    Reply
  8. whisk-kid says

    March 31, 2010 at 6:57 pm

    Lovely photos!

    Dragon fruit is so strange, but so pretty! The first time I bought one was, I admit, just because it was so gorgeous. Great idea to put them in a fruit salad – they would look lovely, wouldn’t they?

    Reply
  9. Kathy says

    March 31, 2010 at 8:04 pm

    I have not tried dragon fruit yet that’s why I got very curios about this one. I didn’t know how healthy this is until i read this blog (thank’s to you!) I want to have some of this and will probably try it with lemon and salt.

    Reply
  10. high low says

    March 31, 2010 at 9:18 pm

    Love dragon fruit (have even made frozen yogurt with it: http://www.highlowfooddrink.com/2009/08/foodbuzz-24-24-24-our-united-nations.html), but haven’t tried the red one yet.

    Btw, noticed your dragon fruit photo on Tastespotting and thought it was striking without even knowing it was yours!

    Reply
  11. Esme says

    March 31, 2010 at 9:19 pm

    What a beautiful display of dragon fruit.

    Reply
  12. denise @ quickies on the dinner table says

    March 31, 2010 at 9:57 pm

    Beautiful pictorial and very informative post 🙂

    Reply
  13. Carolyn Jung says

    April 1, 2010 at 12:23 am

    Beautiful pics! But OK, I must ask: Do you think dragon fruit really has much flavor? I’ve only tried it once. And while I love the exotic look of the fruit, I have to admit I was disappointed by the taste.

    Reply
  14. Linda says

    April 1, 2010 at 12:35 am

    Cute cookie and cream analogy.

    This sounds like a papaya to me. I find papaya to be too bland to fully enjoy on its own.

    Reply
  15. Sara says

    April 1, 2010 at 9:05 am

    The fact that I can find dragonfruit any time of year, and in practically every market, is one reason I’m happy to have moved from Indiana to Thailand! If you want a really pretty (and delicious) fruit salad, try putting diced dragon fruit & mango with some quartered strawberries. Beautiful!

    Reply
  16. Linn @ Swedish Home Cooking says

    April 2, 2010 at 3:25 am

    I love dragon fruit! It is one of those mysterious fruits that my mom just to served me when I was little and I have just kept on loving it ever since.

    Reply
  17. joaniebaby says

    April 2, 2010 at 10:14 am

    I love Dragonfruit! It looks like a strwaberry with all of the color drained out of it. It’s so pretty!!!

    Reply
  18. triplescoopdesserts says

    April 2, 2010 at 10:47 am

    I totally agree with your assessment. Dragon Fruit doesn’t have much of a taste but being Asia my family loves eating. My Father in law even has a plant in his back yard. The cactus doesn’t have any thorns and grows unwieldy if left unattended.

    Reply
  19. Joy says

    April 2, 2010 at 11:38 am

    That is a cool looking fruit. I used to play restaurant city in facebook and wonder if that was actually real. Thanks for the info.

    Reply
  20. Lea Ann says

    April 2, 2010 at 6:32 pm

    I just saw for the first time my first Dragon Fruit here in Denver at an Asian market. $15 for one. I kind of wish I had bought one, but I had no idea what to do with it. I appreciate your post.

    Reply
  21. Diana Bauman says

    April 3, 2010 at 7:28 am

    What a beautiful fruit!! I’ve never seen one before but would love to try it!

    Reply
  22. Hungry Dog says

    April 3, 2010 at 11:43 am

    Thanks for posting this! I read this days ago and meant to comment and am just getting around to it now. Dragon fruit is gorgeous–I’ve only seen photos of it but am sure I could find it in Chinatown here in SF. It’s really one of the prettiest fruits I have ever seen.

    Reply
  23. Mardi @eatlivetravelwrite says

    April 4, 2010 at 12:14 pm

    We ate a LOT of dragonfruit in Laos last summer – both the white and red ones. They are especially beautiful in smoothies!

    Reply
  24. Jessica@Foodmayhem says

    April 5, 2010 at 4:58 pm

    Gorgeous photos! They really range. It’s hard to find flavorful ones in the US, but in Asia, they can be quite sweet. Sometimes, you can get a good one here if you’re really lucky, but they are so expensive.

    Reply
  25. arndrea says

    July 19, 2010 at 2:51 am

    hahah i love dragon friut it taste so great…the plant it grows on is perculiar tho

    Reply
  26. Rachel says

    April 1, 2011 at 2:33 am

    Wow. I live in Costa Rica, and I’ve eaten more fruits here that I had no idea that existed! Wow! Living in America, you have to go out and about very far to find these types of fruits. 🙂

    Reply
  27. Perth says

    April 26, 2011 at 10:09 am

    Here in Thailand its pretty common. Be careful, if you eat too much the seeds come out of the other end.

    Reply
  28. Emily Smith says

    May 7, 2011 at 10:47 pm

    Oooh, I want to try! So pretty!

    Reply
  29. Poo says

    February 21, 2012 at 2:43 am

    poo

    Reply
  30. John says

    March 4, 2012 at 11:48 am

    Hello I started a company that exports pitaya from Nicaragua. The earliest origins of pitaya can be traced back to Central America. That is where the best pitaya in the world comes from. I work directly with the farmers and help them with their organic certifications. We helped 50 producers get USDA certified organic this year. 

    We sell dried pitaya snack packs, and juice and most Whole Foods markets from San Diego to Boston. 

    Check us out @d97ee450f84214d981f11ee4d8955186 

     www.PitayaPlus.com 

    Get Healthy with Pitaya!

    Reply
  31. John says

    March 4, 2012 at 11:49 am

    Hello I started a company that exports pitaya from Nicaragua. The earliest origins of pitaya can be traced back to Central America. That is where the best pitaya in the world comes from. I work directly with the farmers and help them with their organic certifications. We helped 50 producers get USDA certified organic this year. 

    We sell dried pitaya snack packs, and juice and most Whole Foods markets from San Diego to Boston. 

    Check us out  

     www.PitayaPlus.com 

    Get Healthy with Pitaya!

    Reply
  32. Pitaya Plus says

    March 4, 2012 at 11:54 am

    Hello I started a company that exports pitaya from Nicaragua. The earliest origins of pitaya can be traced back to Central America. That is where the best pitaya in the world comes from. I work directly with the farmers and help them with their organic certifications. We helped 50 producers get USDA certified organic this year. 

    We sell dried pitaya snack packs, and juice and most Whole Foods markets from San Diego to Boston. 

    Check us out  

     www.PitayaPlus.com 

    Get Healthy with Pitaya!

    Check out our Social Mission @ http://www.vimeo.com/pitayaplus

    Reply
  33. Pitaya Plus says

    March 4, 2012 at 11:54 am

    Hello I started a company that exports pitaya from Nicaragua. The earliest origins of pitaya can be traced back to Central America. That is where the best pitaya in the world comes from. I work directly with the farmers and help them with their organic certifications. We helped 50 producers get USDA certified organic this year. 

    We sell dried pitaya snack packs, and juice and most Whole Foods markets from San Diego to Boston. 

    Check us out  

     www.PitayaPlus.com 

    Get Healthy with Pitaya!

    Check out our Social Mission @ http://www.vimeo.com/pitayaplus

    Reply
  34. Holly says

    May 14, 2012 at 12:53 am

    if it was not flavorful, then you did not get a ripe one.  They should have an even color all over with few blotches.  A ripe Dragon Fruit is sweet and lovely… unless it is under ripe.  Also, certain regions are better then others.  I have been read that the ones from the Phillipines tend to be smaller and less flavorful.  Try a Mexican or Cambodian version. 

    Reply
  35. Agnes says

    June 9, 2013 at 5:59 pm

    Hi, I only paid $1.88 this week at No Frills in Scarborough, ON (that’s a subburb of Toronto, Canada). Although I have paid $2.50 for it in the past. I like to peel off the rough skin on the outside with a knife so I can eat the bright fuscia coloured flesh as well with the soft speckled centre. I like the way you cubed it. It looks just like dice in a cup! What a beautiful presentation. I’ll have to try that.

    Reply
  36. andiprasetyo21 says

    July 1, 2014 at 6:17 am

    exotic fruit that is rare in our country

    geraibukumuslim.com
    infocrystalx.com

    Reply
  37. Luck says

    November 26, 2019 at 5:33 am

    Look let get the fact righ. Dragon Fruit is native to where, and rare to where? Stop with the BS. Dragon Fruit been around Southeast Asia sence hundreds and hundreds of years. My grandmother love that fruit. She 95 years old and she Cambodian and Thai mix. My grandmother say that fruit been around sence her father was baby, when he told her… let get the fact right. Yes South America has dragon fruit too, but only the yellow kinds. White and red came from Asia.

    Reply

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Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
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