If you haven’t tried Dragon Fruit, this is the season to take a chance on this delicious food that is native to Central and South America and is currently a leading export from Vietnam.
The dragon fruit has many names – in its native land it is called Pitaya, and it is the fruit of a leggy form of cactus. Some speculate that the name “Dragon Fruit” comes from the “flaming” flowers that spout from the top of the fruit. This blog on sustainable farming has some gorgeous photos of the flowers of this fruit.
There is also a legend about Dragon Fruit, which states that the fruit appears like a treasure after a slain dragon breathes its last flames. This is the tale taught to my family by Taoist Abbott Franklin Wood, who sometimes serves Dragon Fruit to his guests when it is in season.
Dragon Fruit has become a treasure, indeed, to my family – and I decided to introduce it to you in this brief ElephantBeads post, along with some photos of our recent enjoyment of the fruit. Please note in the final picture – the fruit itself makes a gorgeous bowl for serving the fruit, mixed with other fruits and a bit of honey. Enjoy!
ElephantBeads 
Hi Elephantbeads! Thanks for the pingback. You have a beautiful blog, and I’m very interested to see that the inside of your dragon fruit are white! I’ve never seen that variety here in Nicaragua. It’s a great idea to use the outside of the fruit as bowl, I will remember that for our next party.
Glad I could share a new idea with you! I’m fascinated by the different varieties of this cool fruit – I have only ever had the white type, but I understand the ones with red fruit have even more health impact. Can’t wait to try one!
That’s really neat – especially since this is the year of the dragon!
I LOVE dragon fruit! Our Thai foreign exchange student introduced it to us. She says it is also being cultivated in Thailand. Lightly sweet and refreshing.