Like longan? Like small potato? Like kumquat? I bet many people have never seen this noble fruit.

When you think of tropical fruits, which ones come to your mind immediately?

Many people may think of durian, mango, mangosteen, jackfruit, dragon fruit, lychee first. But there is a fruit that is so unpopular that it cannot be more unpopular. It is said to be the favorite of Thai princesses. I believe 90% of my friends have never heard of it. This fruit is dragon fruit .

Luxurious fruit like potatoes

Selling at 30 yuan per pound

1

Ugly fruits from Southeast Asia were once tributes

Dragon fruit, the English name is Longkong, which is transliterated from the Thai word "Longgong". It is also called Longgong fruit, coconut fruit, Buddha's head fruit, Lansa, Longgong and other names. It is a tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia, mainly distributed in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries. In Thailand, the season when Dragon Fruit is on the market in large quantities is usually from June to September every year.

Dragon fruit being sold. Image source: Wikipedia

The fruits of the dragon fruit grow in clusters, with 25 to 30 fruits in each cluster. The appearance is a bit like this year's "top trend" - yellow peel, so the dragon fruit has another nickname, called "Thai yellow peel" (although it is a different family from yellow peel).

If you are unfamiliar with yellow peel, the dragon fruit is actually more like longan or miniature potato, with a light yellow peel. The surface of the peel is covered with a thin layer of fuzz, which feels soft and delicate. The flesh inside is a bit like mangosteen or pickled garlic, with 5 cloves and is translucent.

Thai dragon fruit. Copyright image from the gallery. Reproduction may lead to copyright disputes.

It is said that in Thailand, the dragon fruit was once a treasure presented to the royal family, and later gradually became popular among the people. Although the dragon fruit is highly respected in Southeast Asia, it is not well-known in China, and many people have never even seen it.

You usually don’t see it in fruit stores. If you want to eat it, you have to search it on e-commerce platforms and have it delivered to you by air. And it’s expensive, selling for more than 30 yuan or even more per pound.

2

Although the fruit is delicious, it is difficult to grow outside the rainforest

Although the dragon fruit is delicious, it has never been able to leave the tropical rainforest and become a popular fruit. The main reasons are as follows:

Shelf life is too short

The shelf life of the dragon fruit is very short, just a few days. It must be picked immediately after it matures, otherwise it will quickly go bad and rot. It is also difficult to preserve at room temperature and must be refrigerated.

With such a short shelf life and the transportation time, if there is no good refrigeration and preservation technology, the dragon fruit will probably have spoiled by the time it reaches the consumer. Therefore, if people in other regions want to eat it, they need to "carefully" store and transport it, which may not only reduce the taste, but also increase the cost and the price will not be very good.

Difficult to plant

The dragon fruit prefers a warm and humid environment and is suitable for growing in tropical rainforests. It has high requirements for light, water and soil, and is difficult to plant. It is difficult to grow in other areas, and even if it can be grown, the yield is not high.

Moreover, the growth of Longgong fruit trees is slow. After planting the seedlings, it takes at least 3 to 5 years to bear fruit, and some even take 7 to 10 years. Such a long growth cycle will undoubtedly dampen the enthusiasm of growers.

Too low visibility

Dragon fruit is not well known in China, and many people have never even heard of its name, let alone bought it home to taste. Moreover, even if consumers want to buy it, it is difficult to find it on the market, because the yield of dragon fruit is very low and it is rarely seen outside the place of production.

What does it taste like? One man's honey may be another man's poison.

Dragon fruit is promoted in many places as the favorite fruit of Thai princesses and is also known as the "Fruit Princess" of Thailand. So what does it taste like?

On the Internet, people's opinions on the dragon fruit are polarized. Some people love it, while others refuse to eat it after trying it for the first time.

If it is a naturally ripe fruit, it is mainly sweet, with a slight sour taste, a bit like lychee, a bit like grapefruit, and a bit like grapes. In short, it is very complex. Some people commented that the dragon fruit has "a rich and layered taste, like a collection of many kinds of fruits"; "sweet with a slight sour taste, it feels very dreamy."

But if you buy fruits that are not very ripe, such as fruits purchased by air, the taste may be greatly reduced. Therefore, many friends are unwilling to try the unsatisfactory Dragon Palace Fruit again after eating it.

What are the nutritional properties of Dragon Fruit?

Due to restrictions on planting and transportation, Dragon Fruit is considered a relatively niche fruit in many regions except Southeast Asia. The lack of popularity has led to very little research data on this fruit.

In the only literature on the ingredients of dragon fruit, we found the nutritional content of dragon fruit.

1

Sugar

Every 100g of dragon fruit contains 14.2g of carbohydrates (including sugar, pectin, crude fiber, etc.). Although this is comparable to the content in fruits such as apples, pears, and pitaya, the sugar content of dragon fruit is higher because its dietary fiber content is only 0.8g per 100g.

If you have high blood sugar or diabetes, try to eat less.

2

Potassium

The potassium content in dragon fruit is high , with 275 mg of potassium per 100 g, which is 3.3 times that of apples and 2.2 times that of peaches. In summer, people sweat a lot and potassium will be lost to a certain extent. Eating potassium-rich fruits appropriately can prevent heat stroke caused by water-salt metabolism disorders.

3

Phytochemicals

In a study on the anti-cancer components of young dragon fruit, "Anticancer Activity of Young Dragon Fruit Extracts," it was found that among 48 dragon fruit extracts from eight regions and three provinces in Thailand, about 10% showed anti-proliferative activity in four cancer cell lines.

The anticancer activity may come from hexadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid and α-piperine in the dragon fruit, which can be further developed for the treatment of oral cancer and colorectal cancer.

In addition, the leaves, skin, and pulp of the dragon fruit are also said to have different medicinal values, but because research is limited and there is no reliable experimental evidence, don't count too much on relying on food to "cure diseases."

Eat dragon fruit

Pay attention to these three points

Dragon fruit is not only delicate, but also needs to be eaten with caution. From cleaning to peeling to eating, if you do one step wrong, your eating experience will be greatly reduced.

1

Cleaning - Beware of Scorpions

Because the ripe dragon fruit itself is very sweet, it will attract small creatures such as ants and scorpions. Aggressive creatures such as scorpions may be hidden between the fruits of the dragon fruit and on the branches.

Therefore , before eating, it is recommended to hold one side of the branch, put the whole bunch of fruits in water and rinse them back and forth several times, then take them out one by one . When taking them, you should also be careful to avoid being hurt by stubborn insects that have not been rinsed away.

2

Skinning – Beware of the slime

Because the pectin of the dragon fruit is very rich, if you start peeling from the stem (root), it will be very sticky. It is recommended to wear gloves when peeling, or start peeling from the bottom and tear off the white bitter film.

3

How to eat it - don't bite the core

The dragon fruit is regarded as the "fruit of love" because its flesh is sweet and the core is bitter, just like love first experiences sweetness, but once hurt, one will suffer the pain of love.

Because the core and flesh of the dragon fruit are difficult to separate, when eating, use your tongue to remove the core. Be sure to avoid biting the core, otherwise it will be "unbearably bitter."

In Southeast Asia, dragon fruit is not only a delicious fruit, but also has a profound cultural connotation. In some traditional festivals and celebrations, dragon fruit is often used as a good product for worshipping gods, implying auspiciousness, happiness and good wishes. If you have the opportunity to come into contact with dragon fruit, remember to try it~

Planning and production

Author: Li Chun, registered nutritionist

Review | Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center

Planning丨Wang Mengru

Editor: Wang Mengru

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin