How to eat dragon fruit?

[chocolatetartguy]

I had to buy it. It is a bright magenta and has a few petals? reminiscent of artichoke leaves. The Vietnamese farmer told me it was like a kiwi with white flesh and black seeds and that I could sugar it. My VN co-worker said he hadn't seen one in 20 years. He thinks I have to peel it and eat the fruit like an orange. It looks like a flower and has a very slightly sweet aroma.

[Robert Lauriston]

How do you pick a ripe dragon fruit?

I bought one at Berkeley Bowl last year and it was expensive and tasteless. Total waste of money.

That's often the case with new exotics they get there--they've had mamey recently and all have been either rock-hard (way underripe) or mushy (way overripe).

[rworange]

Ask Phan to pick one out for you.

Hmmm, I've had this discussion somewhere, but I guess not in my link above. Although they are slighly prejudiced, Phan said the the ones in the markets like Berkeley Bowl are from Mexico, IIRC and not very flavorful.

Phan is grown in California and they make an effort to pick the fruit ripe.

That's where I got the hint about looking for shiny, thin skin. They said the thicker skin ones are better for shipping and the skin is usually dull. However, a good shipping fruit is usually picked underripe.

I have just had a charmed life as far as dragon fruit, from my first taste of that pitahaya drink to the fresh fruit.

[chocolatetartguy]

I asked the lady at the stand how to pick out a good one and she did it. It wasn't one I would have picked. It has bright color, thin skin and gives like a slightly ripe avocado. They were $5 a pound and mine weighed in at just under a pound.

[bijougem]

Icky.. I just had the dragon fruit dried from Trader Joes, YUCK.. Freeze Dried Rambutans YUCKY YUCKY I love love RAMBUTANS FRESH and the TJS stuff is icky weird taste..

[Chowpatty]

Just in case you were considering it, I wouldn't recommend Trader Joe's dried dragonfruit. It had a nasty taste, kind of like old shoes combined with hairspray and plaster of paris. Since it's not a very sweet fruit, I don't think it dries very well. Looks really cool, though.

[Das Ubergeek]

Definitely concur -- it's nasty, and not at all like the real thing (which I've only had in Hawaii and Spain).

[bijoux16]

thank you so much for the tip... i was THIS close to buying it out of curiosity.

[rworange]

Berkeley Farmers Market or Civic Center?
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/40744

They are wonderful. If you have a ripe one just eat it like a kiwi, don't ruin it with sugar.

When selecting look for a shiny, thin skin. Some varieties have a stunning shocking pink flesh.

http://www.melissas.com/catalog/index.cfm?product_ID=2458&info=Yes

Thanks for the reminder that it is dragon fruit season. Last year I meant to try a salad of dragonfruit, mango and pineapple. brown sugar and fresh lime fresh lime juice ... it sounded like such a delicious idea.

Here's a REAL old Chowhound thread about dragon fruit or pitahaya. I picked up in the middled of the thread where people describe perfectly ripe dragon fruit. Otherwise, they don't taste like much. Just look pretty ... like any fruit though, you can buy a fragrant melon or have one of those hotel-buffet tasteless not ripe versions
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

[chocolatetartguy]

Tuesday BFM from Phan Farms.

[JMF]

Peel and eat. White pulp with tiny seeds and a mild taste.