Today we had a chance to taste dragon fruit, an import from Vietnam. The round fruit is bright pink-purple and its leathery peel is in layers and turned up at the tips, supposedly resembling a dragon’s horns. One easily peels it by hand to reveal its white flesh, studded with tiny black seeds. It has a mild and refreshing flavor, with a texture similar to kiwi fruit. It tastes like a cross between kiwi fruit and guava: less tangy than kiwi fruit but less sweet than guava. A nice treat for desert and (I would imagine) good in a green salad. It costs P120 a kilo from street vendors in Binondo and would probably be more expensive in supermarkets.
Hylocereus undatus
a.k.a. Pitahaya, Strawberry Pear
Round, often red colored fruit with prominent scales. The thin rind encloses the large mass of sweetly flavored white or red pulp and small black seeds. Some varieties are pinkish or yellow.
The fruit is popular eaten chilled, out of hand. It is also used to flavor drinks and pastries. Unopened flowerbuds are cooked and eaten as vegetables.
Here are Dragon Fruit Pictures.
At our dinner table
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