Dragon fruit

Lore & Background

The dragon fruit is a hardy and succulent cactus, drought resistant, with long triangular stems. It often intertwines with nearby trees, taking moisture from their bark, and climbs 8 to 10 metres from the ground without penetrating the ground. Its flower is tubular and hermaphroditic, opening only once at night, and its aroma attracts insects; bats are its biggest pollinators in its natural habitat. The fruit is oval shaped, 10 by 6 centimetres, and presents itself from birth as green, turning yellow or red depending on the cultivar, with scaly skin and groups of sharp spines that detach with ease.

Dragon fruits mainly come in three types: Selenicereus undatus (pink skin, white flesh), Selenicereus costaricensis (red skin, red flesh), and Selenicereus megalanthus (yellow skin, white flesh). The fruit weighs around 150 to 600 grams, and some may reach 1 kg. The pulp contains small black seeds, and the red pulp is harder to cultivate and less frequent but more intense in flavor. The fruit is sensitive to pressure, making transport difficult; in Central America it is available from July to December, and in Vietnam from January to July.

The fruit helps with red blood cell creation, is 90% water, and rich in iron, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins B, C, and E. It is also rich in fiber. The seed oil contains linoleic acid, and the red and purple colors are due to betacyanins, including betanin. The flowers can be eaten or steeped as tea. The main producers include Nicaragua, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Ecuador, Spain, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Qatar, and Israel.

Reader's Guide

Dragon fruit, known scientifically as Selenicereus, represents a significant agricultural commodity in tropical and subtropical regions. Its cultivation has expanded far beyond its native range in Mexico and Central America to countries such as China, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam, which is the largest producer of Selenicereus undatus in Southeast Asia. The fruit's adaptability to dry tropical climates and its ability to endure temperatures up to 40 °C have facilitated its spread, though it has also escaped cultivation to become an invasive weed in some regions.

The fruit's nutritional profile—high in water, fiber, iron, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins B, C, and E—contributes to its popularity as a health food. Its culinary uses include flavoring and coloring juices and alcoholic beverages, and its seed oil is rich in linoleic acid. The three main species (S. undatus, S. costaricensis, and S. megalanthus) offer different skin and flesh colors, with red-fleshed varieties being less common but more intense in flavor.

Commercially, plants can be planted at densities of 1,100 to 1,350 per hectare and may take up to 60 months to reach full production, yielding 20 to 30 metric tons per hectare. The plant's reliance on nocturnal pollinators like bats and moths, and the need for cross-pollination in many varieties, limits home cultivation but has led to the development of self-fertile cultivars. The fruit's sensitivity to pressure remains a challenge for transport, but its availability in European supermarkets and year-round imports from Thailand demonstrate its global market presence.

Did You Know?

• The dragon fruit flower only opens once at night and relies on bats as its biggest pollinators in its natural habitat.
• The red and purple colors of some Selenicereus fruits are due to betacyanins, the same pigments found in beets, Swiss chard, and amaranth.
• The fruit is 90% water and rich in iron, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins B, C, and E.
• Selenicereus megalanthus, the yellow dragon fruit, has white flesh and is also known as 'kirin fruit' or 'yellow pitaya'.