Dragon fruit or pitaja: nutritional health benefits

1. Dragon fruit, also called pitaja (dragon fruit), is the fruit of a cactus with a scaly skin, hence the name 'dragon fruit'. It is the fruit of different cactus species. The flamboyant fruit fits well in a healthy diet because it contains many minerals and some vitamins. The fruit contains a lot of vitamin C, which you need for wound healing, the blood and the strengthening of your immune system. It has a positive effect on cholesterol levels and thus strengthens heart functions. It is rich in lycopenes, which have an antioxidant effect. The fruit's enzymes break down proteins. This, combined with a high water content, aids digestion. Originally from Central America, pitaja is now grown all over the world in warm countries such as Israel and Vietnam.

What is dragon fruit or pitaja?

1. Scaly peel

Nutritional value

1. The raw cactus fruit contains the following minerals and vitamins per 100 g: 1.66 mg iron, 14 mg phosphorus, 7 milligrams calcium and 222 mg potassium. With 7 mg per 100 g, the fruit provides a lot of vitamin C

How do you eat dragon fruit?

1. Raw The dragon fruit is best eaten raw. When refrigerated at the same time, it has a very invigorating effect. The pulp of the most common variety is (gray) white in color and resembles a kiwi

How does dragon fruit taste?

1. In terms of taste, the fruit is fresh, sweet and mild at the same time, but it sometimes disappoints those who prefer intense flavors a little. The dragon fruit with red skin and white flesh has certain parallels with kiwis or strawberries, but the taste is a bit more bland. The yellow variety is more aromatic. Their aroma is somewhat like a mixture of strawberry, pineapple and mango

Grow your own pitajas

1. If you dry the seeds, it is easy to grow pitajas yourself. Separate the seeds from the pulp, let them dry and sow them later. Use well-drained, sandy cactus soil and keep moist at room temperature. After a few weeks, two cotyledons emerge from the soil (the first leaf of a seedling), later followed by a main shoot. Then place the plant in a sunny spot and water it carefully, because the soil has to dry out in between. When you grow dragon fruit from seed, it can take up to two years for the plant to bear fruit. So have a little patience.

2. If you dry the seeds, it is easy to grow pitajas yourself. Separate the seeds from the pulp, let them dry and sow them later. Use well-drained, sandy cactus soil and keep moist at room temperature. After a few weeks, two cotyledons emerge from the soil (the first leaf of a seedling), followed later by a main shoot. Then place the plant in a sunny spot and water it carefully, because the soil has to dry out in between. When you grow dragon fruit from seed, it can take up to two years for the plant to bear fruit. So have a little patience.