I chose the fruit called “pitahaya” which is also commonly referred to as “dragon fruit” in English.
The reason why I chose is because it has intrigued me more than any other fruits i’ve encountered thus far.
Friday, 30 October 2015
Nutritional Benefits
Dragon Fruit Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: One dragon fruit (2 oz. or about
100 grams), peeled
Amt. Per Serving
Calories
60
Carbohydrates
8 g
Sugar
9 g
Calcium
8 g
Protein
2 g
Fat
1.5 g
Fiber
1 g
Dragon Fruit can simply be called a fantastic fruit. Not
only due to its flame-like appearance, but also thanks to its nutritional
properties. It’s a fruit which is “low in calories yet offers numerous
nutrients, including Vitamin C (equivalent to 10% of the daily value), B
vitamins, phosphorus, protein, calcium, fiber, captin, and antioxidants.” Its
properties have shown that it can “lower blood sugar levels as well as blood pressure,
strengthen bones and teeth, promote healthy blood and tissue formation,
re-inforce the immune system, heal bruises and wounds faster and prevent respiratory
problems”.
Thursday, 29 October 2015
Reflections
I’ve learned and enjoyed this project quite a lot. Not only
do I now understand the mystery that dragon fruit use to be to me, but I also experienced
what it’s like to undergo a renewal of memoires. The practice of remembering a
taste and then familiarizing yourself with the fruit only to trigger some fresh
memories is something every aspiring food lover do.
Besides that the adventure of looking for a fruit which isn’t
cultivated in this country has been also quite an experience. I now know the
impact that holding a courteous conversation with locals can have with
advancing your quest. I believe if I had talked to a more diverse population at
the St. Lawrence Market (and not just fluently English speaking individuals),
my quest would surely have proved to be shorter.
It has also proved to be a lot of fun to come up with a
recipe for both of these fruits and to experience new flavors.
- Journey:
Finding this fruit at the beginning
of winter in Toronto was nothing less than a mission. I started my journey at
9AM in the all mighty St. Lawrence were history and diversity seem to merge in
perfect harmony.
After talking to a few people at the fruit stands I was told to try the Kensington Market as they apparently seem to be into more “exotical” and less “in-demand” fruits. Yet even there I was let down. It seems that once again the time of the year was not right. However I talked to one knowledgeable Asian lady at Kensington who told me to try Spadina markets aka China Town markets. It was then that a light triggered in my mind. Of course it would be there, after all, my earlier research on the fruit (where it’s cultivated) showed that it is a fruit vastly popular in Asia. My quest came to an end at around 11AM; I was happy to have found it at the first sign of the China Town Community!
After talking to a few people at the fruit stands I was told to try the Kensington Market as they apparently seem to be into more “exotical” and less “in-demand” fruits. Yet even there I was let down. It seems that once again the time of the year was not right. However I talked to one knowledgeable Asian lady at Kensington who told me to try Spadina markets aka China Town markets. It was then that a light triggered in my mind. Of course it would be there, after all, my earlier research on the fruit (where it’s cultivated) showed that it is a fruit vastly popular in Asia. My quest came to an end at around 11AM; I was happy to have found it at the first sign of the China Town Community!
Considering I ended up visiting 3 different places in the
city I do not know for which I should share its history. But since the Asian
lady at the Kensington market was so nice I believe I should honor her.
- History:
“Kensington Market is a richly multicultural downtown neighborhood in Toronto, Canada. Home to successive waves of immigration throughout the 20th century, the marketplace developed as Victorian homes were transformed into shops, first by Eastern Europeans, then by groups of immigrants from Italy, Portugal, the Caribbean, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Typically, people both lived and worked in the Market, thereby creating a vibrant street life that continues today. Its affordable rents, tolerant attitudes and Old World sensibilities have attracted both new Canadians and non-conformists – artists, start-up entrepreneurs, hippies, punks and activists. The neighborhood is a microcosm of Toronto’s diversity and remains remarkable as a place where authenticity and change coexist.”
Experiments
I would use the White one as a salad topping or in a dish to
bring out some mild sweetness from the acidity. On the contrary I would most
likely make a tea or a nice sauce from the red one as it has an accentuated
sweetness holds a more fragrant color. The skin could be used for both as a
decorative arrangement or caramelized to make something else all-together.
Example: Tea made from the red side stripes, and ginger with a mint leaf.
- White Dragon Fruit Dish example:
- Red Dragon Fruit Dish example:
- Cooking Method:
-Baking (low heat):
Dragon Fruit Muffins.
-Stir frying:
Stir-fried Beef with kiwifruits and Dragon Fruit.
-Grilled: Dragon
Fruit Kebabs (pairs well with kiwi or mango or pineapple [anything tropical]).
Sensory evaluation
After having tried it I came up to multiple conclusions:
Unlike most fruit it does not contain a star in the middle if you cut it horizontally, which from my experience is quite rare. Also in my opinion, after the removal of the skin/leafs, the red
outer ring part of the fruit is what requires an acquired taste. But let’s
start from the beginning:
- White Dragon Fruit:
First of all the fruit has a bit of a crunch (sort
of like watermelon but with less crunchiness) to it when you eat it as I
mentioned in my earlier memories. Its sweetness however is not as hidden as I
remember it. Its sweetness
isn’t concentrated at the bottom (like pineapple) but in the middle (the more
you bite in the bite in the middle the sweeter it is). Also after having tried
it once with the red skin and once without the red skin, I have come to the
conclusion that the “red part” of the fruit is what requires an acquired taste.
The red (unlike the white) doesn’t contain have much of a bite but more a
mellow texture like that of ripe cantaloupe. However I believe that most of its
healthy nutritional properties is in the red. The fruit is not bitter, or sour
or salty; just sweet with a bit of umami if you eat the red and the white
together.
- Red Dragon Fruit:
The Red Dragon Fruit is the same as the white one with a few
exceptions. The first one being that it is red of course. The other one being
that it has a bit less of a crunch to it than the white, and finally the third
one being that it seems sweeter than its White equivalent.
- Comparison:
Wednesday, 28 October 2015
- History:
“The fruit is native to Central America. It
is known as Pitahaya in
Mexico and as Pitaya
roja in Central America and northern South America. Pitahaya is
the Spanish name for fruiting vines of Central America. The fruit was
introduced in Vietnam by the French over a hundred years ago. According to
some, the French took the fruit from Nicaragua and Colombia while others said
they brought it from Guyana (South America) in 1870 as an ornamental plant. For
its large attractive flowers which bloom only at night, the flamboyant plant is
also known as "moonflower" or "lady of the night".
When the Vietnamese discovered the plant's tasty fruit, they cultivated it for food, just as the Mexicans did. The Vietnamese now regard this fruit as indigenous, especially the white flesh variety, Hylocereus undatus, or called Blue Dragon or thanh long by the Vietnamese. Only of late was the fruit grown in Vietnam on a large-scale as a commercial crop. As one of Vietnam's most profitable crops, it is exported to markets all over the Southeast Asia. The commercialisation of the crop is also catching up in Thailand, New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii.”
When the Vietnamese discovered the plant's tasty fruit, they cultivated it for food, just as the Mexicans did. The Vietnamese now regard this fruit as indigenous, especially the white flesh variety, Hylocereus undatus, or called Blue Dragon or thanh long by the Vietnamese. Only of late was the fruit grown in Vietnam on a large-scale as a commercial crop. As one of Vietnam's most profitable crops, it is exported to markets all over the Southeast Asia. The commercialisation of the crop is also catching up in Thailand, New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii.”
- Geographical locations:
The fruit is
Native to Mexico, and was relocated all over Central America. It’s now however
being cultivated in countries such as:
·
Asia
(East, South, Southeast) such as:
o
Cambodia
o
Thailand
o
Taiwan
o
Malaysia
o
Vietnam
o
Sri
Lanka
o
Philippines
o
Indonesia
o
Bangladesh
(recent)
·
Okinawa
(Prefecture of Japan)
·
Hawaii
·
Israel
·
Australia
(in the North)
·
China
(in the South)
·
Cyprus
(island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea)
- Botanical Family:
Pitahaya
also known as “Dragon Fruit” refers to the fruit of the genus Hylocereus. A few species have large
edible fruits which are referred to as Dragonfruits. It gets its genus name
from the word cerus derived from
Latin word cera, which means “wax” or
“torch-like”.
Hylocereus
is a genus of cacti which refers to a night-blooming cactus. It belongs to the kingdom of Plantae, of the order of
Caryophyllales, from the family of Cactaceae and the subfamily
of Cactoideae. This puts them in the tribe of Hylocereeae and henceforth the genus
of Hylocereus.
As of July
2013 however it has become uncertain rather Hylocereus is a distinct genus.
- Market pricing and seasonality:
The plant
can handle temperatures up to 40 C (104 F). It can survive to very short period
of frost. It has adjusted to be able to live in dry tropical climates with
moderate amount of rain. The fruit appears on the tree 30-50 days after
flowering and can have 5-6 harvest cycles per year. Since it doesn’t have a set
season some farms (such as ones in Vietnam) can produce up to 30 tons of fruit
per hectare per year.
-Market
pricing:
According to world renowned website Alibaba.com, the fruit can sell for $ 600-1,000 per ton (2014). Another website linked to the University of Florida has published an excel spreadsheet saying that a box of 10 lb can sell at a price of approximately 35$ (2013).
According to world renowned website Alibaba.com, the fruit can sell for $ 600-1,000 per ton (2014). Another website linked to the University of Florida has published an excel spreadsheet saying that a box of 10 lb can sell at a price of approximately 35$ (2013).
- The HOW:
The first thing that enthralled me is its name “Dragon fruit”. Ever since the first time I heard it I became interested. What kind of fruit could actually hold up the name of a mythical creatures? Why was it given this name? What secrets can it possibly hold? So many questions, but I never actually took the time to figure out the answer until now.
The second thing that fascinated me is that not only does it have a crazy look with its flamboyant red skin and leafy green tips (and sometimes all around yellow skin), but I also learned from experience that it can be red or white inside. This change of color most likely impacts its taste of fruit and consequently the dishes you can make with it. But does it also impact its nutritional properties? Is one fruit more beneficial than the other? Is there one way of preparing it to render homage to them?
- The WHY:
I got to experience what I now know it as “Pitahaya a roja” and the “Pitahaya a blanca” (Red and White Pitahaya). My memory of both fruits are quite different, and here’re my recollection of them:
-The White Dragon Fruit was the first one to land on my palate. My memory of it as I bit into it was first that of a smooth crunchy texture (like that of Julie mango, but without fibers). It was then followed with a subtle rush of bitter and sourness yet with a secondary (and very elusive) sweetness.
-The Red Dragon Fruit in comparison was much coarser when it comes to its flavor. In my opinion it’s a fruit that becomes likable with acquired taste. It didn’t hold the crunchiness that the White Pitahaya had, however its hidden sweetness came rushing in. My conceptions of the fruit were shattered by this new-found color and rush of flavor. It wasn’t about discerning that hidden treasure anymore, it became more about dealing with this flagrant blast of sweet and bitter/sour.
I’m writing this now before I taste these fruits again as it’s my personal belief that recollection play a huge role in your life. Months, days, even years from now; our knowledge of this fruit (or anything else for the matter) will only be as good as the dish, or experience that we first had when we encountered it. As history has shown, progress comes with experimentation, therefore an accurate recordings of ones practices can only further one’s march towards proficient expertise.
I’m writing this now before I taste these fruits again as it’s my personal belief that recollection play a huge role in your life. Months, days, even years from now; our knowledge of this fruit (or anything else for the matter) will only be as good as the dish, or experience that we first had when we encountered it. As history has shown, progress comes with experimentation, therefore an accurate recordings of ones practices can only further one’s march towards proficient expertise.
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