How to Eat a Dragon Fruit

If its fierce, spiny exterior intimidates you, you'll want to know how to eat a dragon fruit before you get out your paring knife. Don't worry, though, because these harmless and delicious fruits don't breathe fire. Native to Mexico and South America, the different dragon fruit (pitaya) come with such exotic names as the Lake Atitlan, Yellow Dragon, and Dark Star. Here's how to eat a dragon fruit:

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. 
   Pick a Dragon Fruit

   Select a dragon fruit. In Mexico and South American, they are available fresh at many markets and stores. However, they are hard to find in ordinary grocery stores in Northern Climates...but are often available online.

2. 
   Slice a Dragon Fruit

   Try eating dragon fruit by the slice. The skin is not eaten, but the fleshy interior (which is generally white or rose colored) and black seeds are enjoyed much like a kiwi fruit.

3. 
   A Dragon Fruit

   Add dragon fruit cubes to fruit salad, and surround the bowl with uncut fruits. Because of their exotic look, dragon fruit make excellent buffet table decoration.

4. 
   Fruit Tart

   Add slices of dragon fruit to a fruit pie or fruit tart. Dragon fruit improves both the beauty and taste of fruit dishes.

Tips & Warnings

• Dragon Fruit are good sources of antioxidants, fiber, Vitamin C and minerals.
• Now that you know how to eat a dragon fruit, consider growing them if you live in a warm, sunny climate.

Resources

• The Great Exotic Fruit Book: A Handbook of Tropical and Subtropical Fruits, With Recipes

[WriterGig]

on 3/19/2008 Rockney, check ethnic grocers, which tend to stock more exotic fruits than your typical store.

[Rockney]

on 3/18/2008 What are certain stores we should look for these Dragon fruits?

[WriterGig]

on 2/23/2008 Well, as long as the plant is kept from freezing, it will survive the winter. Thus your best bet may be to bring the plant indoors in a sunny area during the winter. There are some very large containers you could use to plant the dragon fruit to make it mobile, since your temps get low during the winter.

[guitarguy]

on 2/23/2008 Writer, what is the cold tolerance for these plants? I would love to grow some. We get down to 15 in the winter and as much as 120 in the summer.