Dragon fruit – ingredients and country of origin

05/10/2019

The dragon fruit, Pitaya, is the fruit of a Cactus with scale-like shell, such as “a dragon”. It is well suited to a healthy diet because it contains many minerals and some vitamins.

Table of contents

Pitaya – The most important facts

The fruit contains a lot of Vitamin C, and therefore prevents cold, and strengthens the immune system.
It has a positive effect on the cholesterol level and strengthens the heart functions.
It is rich in Lycopenen, which has anti-oxidative effect and may have some cancer cells in check.
Enzymes in the fruit columns protein. This promotes, associated with a high water content, digestion.
Pitaya is native to Central America, now cultivated everywhere in warm countries. In this country it is imported mostly from Israel and Vietnam.

Ingredients

The raw cactus fruit contains the following vitamins and minerals per 100 g: 1,66 mg iron, 14 mg of phosphate, 7 milligrams of calcium, 222 mg of potassium, and also sodium. With 7 mg per 100 g, it provides ample amounts of Vitamin C. So that Pitaya is healthy, but not in the “master class”, such as for example blueberries.

Good for the health

The contained in the fruit iron increases the level of hemoglobin and suitable for people suffering from anemia. Generally, iron-containing food will not compensate for a lack of iron completely, so you should rely on supplements.
The dragon fruit antioxidants help the detoxification organs in performing their work.
It is believed that dragon fruits are antibacterial, however, has not yet been substantiated scientifically, how and to what extent.
The high content of Vitamin C strengthens the body’s defenses in infections by viruses and bacteria.
The high content of calcium promotes bone health and bone density.
Due to their high content of iron and folic acid, is recommend the dragon fruit especially Pregnant women.
The consumption of dragon fruit AIDS digestion, however, caution is required, since the consumption of water-rich fruit in larger quantities has a laxative effect.

Pitaya Botanical

The Pitaya is a cactus plant. The dragon fruit grows on a climbing cactus, which sticks with its roots to rocks or other plants. The Plant blooms in their original home to Central America in the period from June to September, and bears exceptionally large flowers, whose scent is often compared to Jasmine. This will open for a night and are up to 30 cm long. The dragon fruit grow from these flowers, hard to be up to 15 cm long and up to half a kilogram. Due to their appearance, they can also be a good decoration use. The “dragon skin” has attracted a pink or yellow color, the flesh of the cut fruit in either white or red, and many black seeds, making it visually resembles a piece of Mohntorte.

The flavour of the fruit is fresh, sweet and mild, however, disappointed people who have a preference for intense flavors, a little. The dragon fruit has certain Parallels to kiwi or strawberries, is the taste, but rather insipid.

Season is all year

Pitaya is native to Central America, now cultivated in the tropics and warm countries of the world. Therefore, it comes in small quantities all year round to Germany. And sold they are usually harvested immature, as Mature fruits have a short shelf life. You can check the maturity of the pink fruits, if these “lights” and when you Press submit. Immature Pitayas taste like mostly water.

Due to the high sensitivity of the dragon fruit, you should store it Pitayas avoid dry air; otherwise, they are shriveled. In the ideal case, you spray the fruit several times a day with water. It is recommended the fruits to hang up or store it upright, since they react very sensitively to pressure.

How do you recognize Ripe?

Ripe Pitayas have a uniformly-colored skin. Visible stains indicate that the fruit fault already. A flexible stalk is the fruit a sign of a Mature, breaks off the stem, however, slightly exceeded the maturity already.

Raw food

The raw Pitaya contains not only the full load of vitamins and minerals, it tastes like raw the best. Especially refreshing acts in the cooled state. Loosen the flesh from the shell before you enjoy the fruit, as this tastes very good.

Dragon fruit has a high water content and can therefore process excellent Smoothies, or bowling. The süßsäuerliche taste is in harmony with Mango, passion fruit, mandarins, bananas, figs, Kiwis, gooseberries and strawberries. The fruit of the Pitaya also fits particularly well to leaf salads, particularly if the lettuce leaves have a more intense flavor, such as arugula,.

Very popular are Smoothies made out of dragon fruits and salads. Here, you can let your imagination run free and a lot of experimenting. A typical recipe consists of:

1 dragon fruit,
2 Clementines or tangerines,
a half nZitrone,
8 Leaf Frisee Salad,
50 g mung bean sprouts and
a quarter of a Liter of water.

Peel the dragon fruit and tangerines, and squeeze the lemon and keep the juice. Wash the lettuce and the sprouts thoroughly. You give everything together in a blender and turn it on shortly – ready a wonderful delicious Smoothie.

If you like it simple or no Mixer to Hand, you can touch a Smoothie with water and dragon fruit powder, however, we advise always to the version with fresh fruit.

The Pitaya is a popular fruit for the decoration of cakes and ice cream. It is up to your personal taste, whether you cut the Pitaya into slices, diced or in balls molded pulp is preferred. In the Rest of the fully Mature dragon fruits to cakes of an intense-tasting ice cream or Fruit process.

Lose weight with dragon fruit

Although fruit is healthy, but all fruits for losing weight are suitable. Bananas, for example, contain so much sugar that they rise in the case of a “banana diet” in duration like a Hefekloß. It is different with the Pitaya, as it has hardly any fat and only 36 calories per 100 g. In addition, you should make sure protein rich to take food, because the dragon fruit contains very little protein.

The desire to reduce calories, Pitayas go well with cucumber and combine, since this also contains a lot of water. In a main meal you could put tomato, Zucchini, or spinach, while the dragon fruit and pomegranate could be used for the Dessert. A tip: The Dessert is very good with ginger and honey refining.

Pitayas plants

If you dry the seeds, Pitayas easily. Remove the seeds from the pulp, let it dry, and then sow in sandy soil and keep at room temperature moist. After a few weeks, the two cotyledons emerge from the earth, and later the main engine. They put the Plant subsequent to a Sunny spot and pour this gently, as the earth in between to dry out.

Dragon fruit to harvest requires a long breath, as Pitaya grows only very slowly and only after 20 years in the greenhouse bears fruit.

Other names of the Pitaya

In English the Pitaya bears the name „Belle of the night“ or „Queen of the night“ (because of their magnificent flowers, which rise but only for a night), but also, as in English, „dragon fruit“. In French-speaking countries it is called as in this country, Pitaya or Pitahaya. In Spanish-speaking countries of origin, the dragon fruit has several names like for example, „dulce, blanca, roja, de cardó“.

Caution Pesticides

So healthy, the dragon fruit is also, your cultivation of it is not. In countries of origin such as Vietnam, the plants to be treated on such a large scale with pesticides, the maximum allowable quantities of your arrival to be exceeded in Germany, often significantly. So you found 2014 in 5 of 12 samples (42 % and thus, almost every second fruit) from Vietnam on your arrival in Frankfurt am Main, the maximum allowable quantities are Exceeded. It was the pesticides Carbendazim and Iprodione, the maximum values were exceeded by three-fold to fifteen-fold. For the first October of 2014, the import control was introduced for dragon fruits in the whole of Europe. Since then, all programs are on the respective “designated places” in a controlled and 20 % of the fruits examined. (Dr. Utz Anhalt)

Sources

Apotheken Umschau: Dragon Fruit