One of the strangest fruits that we have at Purple Foods is Pitaya, also known as dragon fruit thanks to its reddish skin and light green scales. True to its unique nature, this fruit grows on cacti native to Southeast Asia and Latin America. However, nowadays it is grown and enjoyed all over the world.
It has a sweet, delicate taste that can be described as a cross between a kiwi and a pear. Its creamy texture makes it a great additive for all kinds of dishes, from breakfasts to summer snacks, to all kinds of deserts.
Dragon Fruit might not be the most common fruit, but it’s still delicious. That’s why we’ve made a quick guide that tells you everything you need to know about it, so you can enjoy it too.
Where do I find dragon fruit?
There are four variants of dragon fruit:
- Pink skin, white flesh – the most common version
- Pink skin, red flesh – a larger, sweeter version
- Pink skin, purple flesh – native to Central and South America
- Yellow skin, white flesh – the smallest, sweetest and rarest variety
Dragon fruit is not the easiest fruit to find, especially in its raw, unprocessed form. If your local supermarket does not stock it, your best bet is to try a specialty store or an Asian market.
However, frozen dragon fruit is a lot easier to find. At Purple Foods, we stock the freshest, most high quality dragon fruit available, carefully selected for its nutritional profile as well as its aesthetics.
How do I know if dragon fruit is ripe?
Because of dragon fruit’s gnarly appearance, it can be difficult to determine its ripeness at first glance, but the signs are easy to identify once you know them.
Ripe dragon fruit is characterised by bright, even-coloured skin as well as a slightly malleable texture. If it’s too firm, it’s likely that the dragon fruit will need to ripen for a few days in order to make it optimal for eating.
However, it should not be too blotchy, and it shouldn’t be too soft or mushy, as those are signs that the fruit in question may be too ripe.
How to prepare dragon fruit
Despite the dragon fruit’s appearance, it’s actually easy to prepare/
Start by cutting the fruit in half so you can expose the white, seed-filled flesh inside. Then, run a spoon along the edges of the skin and then scoop underneath to loosen the flesh so you can separate it from the skin. If the fruit is ripe, it’ll separate from the skin easily.
From there, you can do whatever you want with the fruit. You can eat it as is, you can slice it up and refrigerate it for later, you can use it in a huge number of recipes. It’ll be delicious either way.
What dishes can I make with dragon fruit?
One of the great things about dragon fruit is that it works with so many different recipes.
You could grab some skewers and make fruit kebabs (dragon fruit and kiwi fruit go really well together, just FYI). You want a delicious breakfast smoothie? You got it. Mix it with whatever fruits and grain you want. How about a nice sorbet? You can even serve the sorbet in the dragon fruit skin if you want. Hey, you can even use dragon fruit for tropical cocktails.
Have fun and try them all. With a fruit as delicious as dragon fruit, you won’t regret it.
FAQs
Can you eat the skin of dragon fruit?
It’s definitely not recommended that you eat the skin from dragon fruit. This is for two reasons. Firstly, it tastes unpleasant. Dragon fruit is sort of like avocados, in that the goal is to discard the skin for the fruit inside. Secondly, depending on where you get your dragon fruit from, the skin can have residue from pesticides.
Of course, you don’t need to worry about the skin if you get your dragon fruit frozen. The fruit has already been prepared and is ready for you to eat right out of the package.
What is the best time to eat dragon fruit?
Dragon fruit can be eaten at any time, but its season is at its peak from summer to early autumn.
This is another reason why frozen dragon fruit is so ideal. You don’t have to worry about seasons, as you’ll always have high quality, delicious dragon fruit ready for you to eat at any time.
You can enjoy dragon fruit with all kinds of foods as well. First thing in the morning? Use it in a breakfast bowl or a smoothie. Are you having lunch? Put it in your salad. What about that night? Fun fact, dragon fruit goes really well with fish dishes, and pretty much any desert you can think of.
What’s the best way to eat dragon fruit?
That’s the beauty of dragon fruit. There are so many different ways to eat it, that the best way is whatever you want.
Contact us, so we can provide you with high quality dragon fruit while you figure out how you’re going to eat it.