What the… DRAGON FRUIT?!

In the Oriental Market/Stores they usually have  a large selection of fruits from other countries.  You’ll have the typical selection of apples, oranges and bananas.  Here you’ll find really cool stuff like…  DRAGON FRUIT!!  I don’t know if you’ve ever seen them but they are one funky looking fruit!  I saw it the other day and thought…  weird, but I kinda want to try it.  I had heard of Dragon Fruit before and had seen them at the store every now and again, but never had the balls to go buy one.

So I bought one.

I got this and wondered where do I even begin?  Is the skin edible?  Do I have to cut it with a large knife and use some muscle to get it open like a coconut?  I ended up having to youtube instructions on how to peel them because this is my first time ever having one.  Here’s the LINK.

It was super easy to peel (kind of like a banana once you’ve cut the skin) and the taste…  well…  I don’t want to say flavorless because there definitely was flavor, but then it wasn’t sweet or sour either.  I honestly can’t describe it.  It’s not bad.  I would definitely eat it again.  The meat of the fruit was not at all like I expected.  White with teeny tiny black seeds?  I was expecting red or pink or orange.  Well played Dragon Fruit…you Trickster you!  Here are some nutritional facts on the Dragon Fruit:

Dragon Fruit Nutrition Information

• Dragon fruits are rich in antioxidants. They help to prevent the formation of carcinogenic free-radicals.
• Dragon fruits are packed with vitamin C. Vitamin C ensures bruises and cuts heal faster and helps improve the general immune system.
• Vitamin B2 acts as a multi vitamin to recover and improve loss of appetite.
• Vitamin B1 plays an important role in the production of energy as well as metabolizing carbohydrates.
• Vitamin B3 lowers bad cholesterol level and enhances the appearance of the skin by moisturizing and smoothing it.
• The seeds of the fruit contain high polyunsaturated fatty acids.
• Dragon fruits help excrete heavy metal toxins from the body.
• They help lower cholesterol and high blood pressure.
• Regular consumption of the dragon fruit works great for asthma and cough.
• Carotene helps maintain and equally improve the health of the eyes.
• The proteins from the fruit enhance metabolism of the body.
• The fruit serves as a food substitute for rice, for the diabetics.
• They protect the environment by absorbing CO₂ at night and releasing oxygen to purify the air.
• Dragon fruit can be used as cosmetic and health material, with functions of improving eyesight and preventing hypertension.
• It is good material of beverage, delicious vegetable dishes, having high nutrition, low heat, rich vitamin C, may be processed to be all kinds of drinks
• Dragon fruit can be cultivated easily. Dragon fruit plant has strong roots and is good at water conserving and heat and drought resisting. So growing dragon fruit plants is quite easy and economical.
• Dragon fruits are rich in minerals, especially calcium and phosphorus. Calcium reinforces bones and helps in the formation of healthy teeth. Phosphorus aids in tissue formation.
• The fruits are low in calories and high in fiber. They help to avoid constipation by acting as natural laxative. They help to improve the overall digestive health. The fiber enhances the digestion and reduces the fat.

The above information can be found HERE.

Awesome right?  This piece of fruit that I had was about $5 and it was the size of a nerf football.  They come in all sizes so if you’re feeling like you want to share your adventure with someone or you want to try it by yourself, I’m sure there’s a perfectly sized fruit out there for you.