Amongst the kinky imported fresh produce that makes it to the supermarkets in Crete, I spotted something that I'd never seen or heard of before. I have seen papaya, tamarillo, passionfruit, pineapple, lime, starfruit, and all sorts of other weird and wonderful crops, all carefully packed in boxes, specially made for the kind of fruit packed in them, with hollowed pockets to fit each one individually, all beautifully presented in uniform size. But I'd never before seen a bright pink fruit with tinges of neon green thorn-like protusions. It was Monday morning, the start of a new week; I decided to give it a try.
"What's this?" I asked the assistant at the fresh produce counter.
"Ahhh...," she started, looking closely at the label, "pi-ta-HA-ya."
"And what is it?" I asked, in full knowledge that it was a pointless question.
"I don't know," laughed the shop assistant.
"I'll let you know," I laughed back.
One euro and ninety-seven cents later, I took my pitahaya home. I wanted to find out what was inside this fluorescent creation of nature. But what do you do with a pitahaya? Do you cut it lengthways or widthways, do you peel it, what do you do with it? Before mutilating it, I decided to look it up on the internet)which I knew would spoil the surprise for me, as it would have photos of its interior).
Sure enough, it told me what to expect of a pitahaya and how to deal with it. As soon as I sliced it open lengthways - the outer inedible layer was as soft as a banana peel - the fruit seemed to peel away on its own. I smelt it - nothing. Maybe they have a special aroma when they are eaten fresh in the country they are grown... maybe.
It looked like an albino kiwifruit. It tasted rather bland. I stuck it in the fridge, thinking that maybe it will take on a different taste (like cactus figs) once they have been refrigerated. An hour later, I starting scooping it out with a spoon. Still no taste though; a little like low-quality vanilla ice-cream.
Oh well, I had my fun.
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Here they are dubbed the "dragon fruit" and used mostly in S.American restaurants. They are like the prickly pear in more ways than one. (in other words, and especially for the children, it's best to consume at home within close proximity to own bathroom...)
ReplyDeleteWe call this Dragon Fruit in our markets. I have tried it too and wondered if it would be more flavourful grown in its native country and picked ripe:D
ReplyDeleteyou would think an exotic fruit like that one, would have a wonderful flavor. How disapointing.
ReplyDeleteinteresting. never seen that before. does look a bit kinky. :O
ReplyDeleteThe chinese call this, I believe, dragon fruit (though I may be mistaken). While not the most flavourful, it is refreshing at least, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteBut then again, I'm writing from Canada, comparing it to ... apples. When you've got fragosika right in your backyard, nothing compares...
I can't believe everyone's agreed with me about the taste...
ReplyDeleteChristina, you're right - it's refreshing when you've put it in the fridge, but I could drink a glass of my good quality nice-tasting tap water instead!
In the UK we call it Dragon Fruit, it looks lovely but is rather tasteless!
ReplyDeleteI must also add that the dragon fruit looks pretty but lacks in taste...kinda like the chicken breast of fruits.
ReplyDeleteGosh, here I am in California, pretty much an international produce paradise, and I've never heard of this.
ReplyDeleteThis is true... but then again, your tap water isn't such a conversation starter, nor is it quite so exotic looking, is it? ; )
ReplyDeleteJust trying to put a positive spin on nearly 2 euro of blandness... hehe
It's gorgeous - I've never seen one before, although it looks like from your comments we do have them in the UK. How disappointing that after that glorious pink the flavour was so bland.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up about the fruit and now I know to stay clear of this pretty packaged fruit. Had I seen it first I probably would have bought about 10 of them to stare at.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen this fruit before! I didn't even know it WAS fruit! :-) It sure is pretty though, with that vibrant outer color and light interior. How cool, Maria, that you bought this and investigated it! It's fun to try new things!
ReplyDeleteYou're funny. Thanks for tasting it for me. Now I won't have to since you've done it for me -and it seems that everyone agrees that it's not really flavorful. Awesome, you saved me 2 euros! :)
ReplyDeleteas an aside, voted for you. :)
ReplyDeleteDragonfruit can be quite good. They kind of remind me of kiwi fruit (at least, when I had them in China).
ReplyDeleteI've had them here, and I think I liked the pink flesh better. They are quite expensive!
ok, i guess we have all worked out that pitahayia is not tasty
ReplyDeleteBUT imagine being stuck on a desert island and realising that this juicy fruit is edible and refreshing...
enough slander!
I saw something on these on a blog during the Olympics from China. They were so pretty, but I think I remember them being pretty tasteless there. But WHAT a looker!
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