You may already know this from other fruits, but the redder the color, the more antioxidants will be present in the fruit itself. In other words, red-fleshed dragon fruit tends to have higher antioxidant amounts. Next to this, the red variant also contains more vitamin C.
Dragon fruit's flesh can range from white (with pink, yellow or orange skin) to hot pink or deep purple with tiny black seeds. The colour of the flesh determines the flavour. For example, whitish dragon fruits can have a mild taste, and darker flesh can be sweeter and juicier.
Red dragon fruit has the same beautiful pink skin as its white relatives, but a burst of red flesh on the inside.
Dragon fruit skin is not poisonous.
So long as you properly wash it to get rid of any traces of pesticide, eating dragon fruit skin is not only safe but even healthy. If your dragon fruits are too dirty, wash them using a vegetable scrub.
Scoop it OutTake the dragon fruit and cut it into half.
Then using a spoon, scoop out the flesh and enjoy it fresh or you can even drizzle it with a little honey and have it as a mid-meal treat. The outer skin is inedible though, so avoid it.
A favorite of ours, red dragon fruit is the most striking with bright magenta flesh. The flavor is sweeter than the white-flesh variety, with a hint of berry. Red-flesh dragon fruit is commonly found growing in Nicaragua where it is magically fertilized in the rich volcanic soil, making it more flavorful and sweet.
The most common species of dragon fruit is bright pink on the outside, and white in the inside with black seeds scattered throughout. But less-common variations have magenta or yellow flesh.
Dragon fruit is grown in Asia, Mexico, Central America, South America, and Israel today. Its textured, scaly skin comes in pink or yellow, while its flesh may be red or white with scattered, tiny, black seeds.
La Verne Pink Dragon Fruit variety is a hybrid cross using a Hylocereus undatus and Hylocereus guatemalensis. This variety gets its name from a nursery in Southern California.
Yellow dragonfruit (hylocereus megalanthus) also known as the yellow pitahaya, is the sweetest dragon fruit of all. It is part of the cactus family – and is by far the most popular cactus among the world. The yellow pitahaya is smaller than the red-skinned species, but sweeter and juicier.
There are three species of dragon fruit in the genus Hylocereus and one species in the genus Selenicereus. Varieties of Hylocereus guatemalensis, Hylocereus polyrhizus, and Hylocereus undatus as well as hybrids of these three species are grown commercially worldwide.
For the most part, dragon fruit is safe to eat and offers many health benefits due to its vitamin C and antioxidant properties. The fruit is low in calories, making it a perfect everyday snack.
What is dragon fruit? Dragon fruit, also called pitaya or strawberry pear, looks like something straight out of a Dr. Seuss book: On the outside, it's a pink oval with green scales (hence the “dragon” name). Inside, it has white flesh with tiny black seeds.
You may already know this from other fruits, but the redder the color, the more antioxidants will be present in the fruit itself. In other words, red-fleshed dragon fruit tends to have higher antioxidant amounts. Next to this, the red variant also contains more vitamin C.
The taste of yellow and red dragon fruit is quite different. Yellow dragon fruit has a sweet taste, large seeds, smells like mangosteen, and the amount of sugar accounts for about 20-25%. Red dragon fruit is usually sweet, the sugar accounts for about 15%, the seeds are small.
The shape of the fruit
When cutting dragon fruit, we will easily recognize the difference. Red flesh dragon fruit has dark red flesh inside, gradually turning a dark purple. For white flesh dragon fruit, the flesh is simple white, the seeds are prominent.
Once your fruit starts rotting, its skin will be loose and wrinkled. . Bad dragon fruit will also change its physical color from pink to purple, and the leaves can turn dark green. This can result when the fruit is exposed to sunlight or warmer temperatures.
When ripe, dragon fruit has a mildly sweet flavor often described as a blend of pear and kiwi, and a soft texture similar to a ripe kiwi. Under-ripe dragon fruit, on the other hand, is basically flavorless. Native to Mexico, Central and South America, the dragon fruit plant is a cactus.
As with other fruits, you can keep these out at room temperature for several days as long as they're uncut. Once cut, eat your dragon fruit immediately or store it in the fridge for a day or so until it begins to brown.
Picking dragon fruit
In general, the fruit is ripe after a minimum of 27 to 33 days has passed from the time the plant was in bloom. Before picking you will have to remove the thorns from the fruit with pliers.
Dragon fruit needs to ripen on the vine to be sweet. The ones sold in most markets are harvested early for export and don't continue to sweeten, so they are very bland.
Dragon fruit is high in vitamin C and other antioxidants, which are good for your immune system. It can boost your iron levels. Iron is important for moving oxygen through your body and giving you energy, and dragon fruit has iron. And the vitamin C in dragon fruit helps your body take in and use the iron.