dragon fruit (pitaya)

It was my first time to try this tropical and very exotic looking fruit called dragon fruit. The tree is from the cactus family and commonly grown in Southeast Asia and South America. I've never seen and even heard about it in the Philippines when I was still living there but they must have started importing it by now. Many fruits and vegetables are now available there just like those colorful bell peppers. I've been curious about dragon fruit since I first saw it sold in neat little packs, cut-up into cubes and mixed with other fruits, at one of the many fruit stands inside the La Boqueria Market in Barcelona. I regretted not buying the fruit mix to eat back at our hotel. Finally, my husband spotted it at an Asian market we visited this weekend. It wasn't cheap at more than $5 per fruit but it was worth trying.

the bright pink dragon fruit peels easily like a banana

We always like to try unusual fruits but we had our share of hits and misses in the past. We were not really blown away by the taste which was very mild bordering on the bland side but it was good and juicy. Biting into the black seeds reminded me of kiwi. The texture is comparable to kiwi as well but slightly crunchier. I read that it also mixes up well with other fruits. A combination of dragon fruit, kiwi, cantaloupe and watermelon cubes will make a very refreshing and colorful summertime treat. We would definitely buy it again, hopefully at a more reasonable price :-)