Friday 11 January 2008

Dragon fruit.


Also known as the Dragon Fruit, the Pitaya is a stunningly beautiful fruit with an intense colour and shape, magnificent flowers and a delicious taste. Once only seen in the finest restaurants it is fast becoming common-place throughout Australia as a garnish and a delicious fresh fruit. To eat the fruit serve chilled and cut in half. Scoop out the flesh and seeds much like a kiwi fruit. Hylocereus undatus is a red skinned climbing cactus that Dragon Fruithas received world-wide recognition as an ornamental plant for its large, scented, night-blooming flowers. It produces fruit of 1 kg or more and has a light melon-like taste. The colour of the skin is a beautiful bright red, with translucent white flesh and tiny black seeds. The species is easily recognisable by the triangular cross-section of its stem and minimal spines. This species pollinates very well with H polyrhizus.

The H polyrhizus has a small fruit up to 1 kg with red skin, dark-red flesh and small black seeds. The stems of this species have more spines.
http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/fruit%20pages/Pitaya.htm

Lima Bean and I saw this magnificent fruit at our local Fruit Mart and HAD to have it. The flesh is white and tastes like a cross between kiwi fruit and Nashi pears. We're planning a Dragonfruit and mint sorbet, served back in the "shell".



Gotta love Summer in Oz.


5 comments:

Cindy said...

I love the sorbet-in-the-shell idea, PG! I seem to remember buying a similar pink-fleshed fruit a few years ago. We mushed some up into drinks - fruit, ice and lemonade, with optional vodka!

purple goddess said...

vokda, "optional"??!!!

Heresey!!!!

grocer said...

Isn't nature amazing?

Now riddle me this, looking at that, how can a sara lee frozo dessert be appealing?

Anonymous said...

My God!
Thanks for the explanation PG. For a mo I thought you'd dissected one of the testicles of a sunburt & blistered cadaver n Dromana Beach!

I know I know , BE-HAVE!

stickyfingers said...

Also great drizzled with lime juice, as per red papaya or honey, or both....sexy.