From the other side of the world, it’s
also a culinary journey. There are tastes, colors and smells that we don’t
forget. Still little known in France, the pitaya or “dragon fruit” is part of
the tropicalcuriosities that we discover landing in Saigon. The Vietnamese call
it “thanh long”. In reality, it’s a matter of the fruit of a cactus that grows
in arid areas. Native to Mexico, it’s the French settlers who imported it to
Vietnam.
Its appearance is intriguing: the envelope
is often candy pink (sometimes yellow depending on the variety), and it hides
in its heart, a sweet flesh dotted with tiny black seeds. Fresh, it’s very
refreshing and often compared to kiwi, less in acidity. Dragon fruit is
ubiquitous in Vietnam. Impossible to miss in the mounds of fruits lined up
along the roads and bought for only a few cents. The major explanation is that
supply now widely exceeds demand. For five years, South East Asian countries
(Japan, China) and the United States, were open to the import of this amazing
fruit. As a result, the areas of crop leaped, especially in the southern
provinces of Binh Thuan, Long An and Tien Giang. Yet it remains difficult to
export fruit. I made the bitter realization in cramming them into my suitcase.
They arrived in poor condition, damaged and oozing with juice.
Dragon fruit is extremely fragile. The other problem that slows its exports are
health checks. Export becomes a real challenge because the goods must comply
with international standards for the collection and packaging, as well as
strict rules of cleanliness. But the Vietnamese are still lagging behind and
some farmers are headstrong to these international standards. To get into the
U.S. for example, the fruit is (almost) subject to inspection clinics, and
suffer plant checks from X-rays.
If dragon fruit remains a source of pride for the Vietnamese, you’ll
understand, it’s better to taste it in Vietnam…
Dragon fruit grows on the Hylocereus cactus, also known as the Honolulu queen, whose flowers only open at night.
The plant is native to southern Mexico and Central America. Today, it is grown all over the world.
It goes by many names, including pitaya, pitahaya, and strawberry pear.
The two most common types have bright red skin with green scales that resemble a dragon — hence the name.
The most widely available variety has white pulp with black seeds, though a less common type with red pulp and black seeds exists as well.
Another variety — referred to as yellow dragon fruit — has yellow skin and white pulp with black seeds.
Dragon fruit may look exotic, but its flavors are similar to other fruits. Its taste has been described as a slightly sweet cross between a kiwi and a pear.
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