The Dragon Fruit

Have you ever heard of the dragon fruit (of the genus hylocereus undatus)? Yes, that's a funny name given to a fruit!

I have seen a lot of these fruits on sale at the local wet markets and supermarkets of most shopping malls in town. Initially, the sight of this fruit does not appeal me. My first impression of this fruit was that it has an ugly look and it does not appeal to me at all. So, I tend to believe that this fruit must have a horrible taste!

Actually, that isn’t true at all after my adventure to Borneo Tropical Rainforest Resort in Miri during our team’s away day. We were served with plenty local fruits harvested from the resort’s plantation and dragon fruit is one of those served. At first I ate those fruits like rambutan, papaya, mangoes, jackfruit and avoid the dragon fruit. After much coaxing and assurance from my colleagues, I picked a small piece and took a nibble on it. Hmm! The fruit is juicy, with a subtle fruity flavors and I couldn’t resist not going for a few more helpings the moment the juicy taste tantalized my taste buds.

A colleague mentioned he has one single plant at home and it has been fruiting quite often. So, you guess right! I asked for a cutting of the plant and try planting a tree for myself. So far I could see a slow growth stemming out from the main stalk and I will have to wait for at least a year or so for it to bloom and bear its fruit. I couldn't wait to harvest the fruit from my own garden!

A lot of people may not know the many benefits of this fruit. Red-skinned pitayas are rich in vitamins, especially Vitamin C and it's reported that in Taiwan, diabetics use the fruit as a food substitute for rice and as a source of dietary fiber and also are rich in antioxidants, which prevent the formation of cancer-causing free radicals. Well, now knowing that this fruit is nutritional, I will not mind buying some for my family consumption.

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