Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The Dragon Fruit

Growing up in an Asian family, I was taught from an early age the importance of eating plenty of fruit, not just from a "health" vantage point, but from a "spiritual" one. During the Lunar New Year and birthday celebrations, fruit took on a deeper meaning, as certain types of fruits (such as peaches and oranges) signified prosperity and good fortune for our family. Because my father grew up in Vietnam, he made sure to introduce his children to fruits from his childhood, even though such fruits were very expensive and rarely available anywhere near where we lived in Arizona. Durian, starfruit, lychees, longans (dragon eyes), pitaya (dragon fruit), and mangosteens were his favorite tropical fruits. I have already posted before on lychees and mangosteens, and today, I would love to share with you about the dragon fruit.


The outside of the dragon fruit looks akin to a hot pink and underdeveloped artichoke, with flipper-esque growths emanating from the fruit's oblong body. With its audacious appearance, it is clear to see where the dragon fruit gets its name. You can easily imagine the tentacle-like dragon fruit stems to be the twirling, suspended whiskers of a dragon's mane. However, the inside of a dragonfruit is a monochromatic contradiction to the brazen colors of the outside rind. The fruit is just supple white flesh, simply flecked with a scattered design of black poppy-like seeds.

To eat a dragon fruit, cut it just like a melon, lengthwise, and then into wedges. Next, peel away the hardened rind to reveal a delicately soft and fleshy interior, which texturally feels identical to a kiwifruit. The subtle fruit flesh tastes both like a soft, ripened pear and a kiwifruit, but without any bite of tartness.

Check out your local speciality store or the ethnic area of your supermarket, to discover the dragon fruit. Happy holidays, and Merry Christmas everyone!

15 comments:

  1. enjoyed insight about cultural references to fruit as you were growing up! never had dragon fruit before and it looks + sounds delicious.

    Glad to hear u r back *home* my fellow california girl....wishing u and beau a merry christmas + fantastic 2009! ;-)

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  2. Mmm I had fresh dragon fruit in Thailand -- so good! What city are you in now?

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  3. Thank you so much Taste Memory, dragon fruit is definitely worth a try! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!

    I am actually in Washington D.C. now, but will be back in San Francisco after New Year's Day Taste Tester. We should meet up!

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  4. Happy Holidays PE! By far the best Dragonfruit we've had was in Vietnam....they are both huge, and amazingly sweet!

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  5. We have to find a way to get dragon fruit like Vietnam's over here, in the U.S. Kirk K! Have a Merry Christmas Kirk, and a Happy New Year!

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  6. Merry Christmas and happy new year PE! Thanks for visiting thejesuitgourmet. All the fruits you've mentioned are commonly available in our markets here! Please let me know you're address once you're back in san francisco so i could send you some filipino delicacies.

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  7. Merry Christmas Passionate Eater! I tasted my first dragon fruit in Hawaii this year and it's exactly like your described it. Pearish, kiwish, but unlike the two!

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  8. Dragon fruit has to have the best name for a fruit. It's like being named Harley. You know you are going to be a cool kid with that name.
    I've never tried a Dragon Fruit. I am very curious about them now!

    Merry Christmas PE and Hubby!
    We've had a grand day here and about to go to bed as it is late. I heard that it has been quite cold where you are at.

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  9. here in israel we get them both in speckled white and speckled magenta...the deepest and brightest color i've ever seen in a fruit of that size. the first time i tried one, i was expecting a flavor as intense as the hue, but i found it to be a pretty mild fruit...not even as flavorful as a pear. any ideas about health benefits? i need some more motivation to eat this besides asthetics :)

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  10. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to YOU and all of your friends and family JHaw, SJ! And I need your address FIRST, so that I can send you some U.S. delicacies! I am so glad to see you back and active in the blog world again!

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Elmomonster--we will have to get dragon fruit together sometime!

    Melinda, I think the best name for a fruit would be the Melinda fruit, that fruit would be the sweetest in the world!

    Ronit, I read that dragon fruit have high levels of Vitamin C and dietary fiber, in addition to their beauty! I haven't tried the beet red kind of dragon fruit, but I will have to do so soon!

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  11. PE, what is your favorite fruit from Vietnam? Is it the dragonfruit? BTW, I saw a bag of mangosteens at the store today in San Francisco and it was selling for $9.99 a pound. The bag turned out to be $23 for maybe six mangosteens? That was way over my budget, even for a potential food post! ;-) So I'm on the search for mangosteens sold individually instead of in a big bag.

    Happy new year!

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  12. Happy New Year! Looks tempting. I wonder where I could find in N.O.? I love introducing my kids to new foods.

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  13. I love all kinds of tropical fruits Chef Ben, especially durian, but my favorite is probably lychees and longans. Happy New Year to you as well!

    Check out the Hong Kong Supermarket on the Westbank (Gretna) LA Chic, and you are bound to find quite a selection of new foods to try! Happy New Year to you and your family!

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  14. I love introducing my kids to new foods.

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  15. Happy New Year!

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