Dragon Fruit/ Pithaya .

1. Dragon Fruit/Pithaya.

2. Origins. Dragon Fruit originally comes from Central America. Today it is grown primarily in Vietnam, China, Nicaragua and Israel. Dragon fruit (Hylocereusundatus), a tropical fruit popular in Southeast Asia, belongs to the climbing cacti (Cactaceae) family. Vietnam is the main commercial producer of dragon fruits in this region. The fruit, apart from being refreshing and tasty, has loads of vitamin C and is said to aid digestion. According to some, the French took the fruit from Nicaragua and Columbia while others said they brought it from Guyana (South America) in 1870 as an ornamental plant. For its large attractive flowers which bloom only at night, the flamboyant plant is also known as "moonflower" or "lady of the night".

3. Recipes & Uses. The fruit is popularly eaten raw and tastes better chilled. It is also served as a juice. The flesh is sweet and sometimes served with mango in a tropical sorbet. The fruit is also used to flavour drinks while syrup made of the whole fruit is used to colour pastries and candy. Thepulp of the fruit is used in producing an alcoholic beverage. The fruit makes a wonderful cocktail on its own or mixed with other tropical fruits. It is sometimes used in cooking. Unopened flowerbeds can be cooked like vegetables. Dragon Fruit is also used in food recipes. Dragon fruit is used as Medicine. Dragon fruits improve eyesight and prevent hypertension. The seeds of the fruit are said to help in controlling blood glucose levels in people with non-insulin-dependent hyperglycaemic conditions (a kind of diabetes). It is also used to treat stomach and endocrine problems..

4. Some Recipes Are… Dragon Fruit Salad Recipe 1 dragon fruit, chilled 1 cup chopped fresh fruit 1 cup torn lettuce leaves (optional) 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced (optional) 1 tablespoon honey 1. Cut dragon fruit in half. Gently scoop out the white center fruit. Cut the white fruit in chunks. Reserve the red dragon fruit peel as a serving bowl. 2. Add fruit in medium bowl with other fresh fruit and/or lettuce leaves and mint. 3. Drizzle honey over fruit, gently toss together. 4. To serve, use the fruit peel as the bowl. Ingredients: 1/2 pink dragon fruit, peeled 1/2 lemons zest 2 Tb. lemon juice water or milk optional: a few drops of stevia fresh basil leaves Directions: Dragon fruit is really easy to prepare, you can basically peel the skin off with your hands or a knife. Discard the skin. Chop the pink dragon fruit. In a blender add the chopped dragon fruit, lemon zest, lemon juice and blend till smooth. Add enough milk or water to form a thick paste. Taste the mixture, if it’s not sweet enough for your liking add a few drops of stevia. Pour the mixture into a container with a lid and put it in the freezer. At half hour intervals, using a fork breakup up the ice crystals as the sorbet freezes (this results in a smoother mouth-feel). Keep doing that until sorbet is frozen. Once frozen, scoop out of the container and serve with a few basil leaves for something different! Enjoy.

5. Nutritional Value Dragon fruits are high in antioxidants, which help to fight carcinogenic free-radicals from forming in the body. In addition, they are a good source of Vitamin C, and are rich in minerals, especially calcium and phosphorus. They are also low in calories and high in fiber, while the seeds are have high polyunsaturated fatty acids. Aside from its nutritional content, the fruit is also said to help excrete heavy metal toxins from the body and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Dragon fruits are also known to be a natural laxative.

6. Relevance Dragon Fruit is a very well known fruit in central America and Vietnam. It is used for many foods and recipe, from desserts to healthy eating. Dragon Fruit is good for health and can help with anything that needs fiber, Which it has much of. All in all the Dragon Fruit is an amazing health remedy and also a very tasty treat!