All unusual and unknown attracts, especially if it is also called fruit. Longan, Pitaya, Lychee, Durian, Jackfruit and many other exotic fruits the inhabitants of Thailand offer tourists to try . But neither by their name nor by their appearance is it possible to determine their taste and how they should be eaten, for this it is necessary to buy and taste it. That you have not suffered a complete disappointment, you can know in advance about these exotic desserts.
In this article, you will learn all about one of the most popular and unusual fruits of Thailand - dragon fruit, how it grows and how it can be grown at home.
This bright pink fruit with scales, as in the dragon, has many names - dragons fruit, pitaya, nykhayya.
A dragon fruit is the fruit of cacti, the type of which determines the color of the pulp. They bloom only at night, so their pollination occurs with the help of bats and night butterflies.
There are three types:
- yellow peel - creamy pulp;
- red skin - white flesh;
- red or pink peel - red flesh.
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A dragon fruit usually grows in size with a medium beet weighing from 100 to 600 g, shaped like a plum (oblong at both ends), its entire peel consists of bright pink or red scales with green ends.
The white or red inside of the fruit, very similar to the hardened jelly, is completely covered with small black unstable bones, similar to poppy seeds. The taste of the pulp of the dragon fruit is fresh and sweet, many compare it with the taste of kiwi, only without acid. Dragon fruit refers to inexpensive fruits, on average its price per kilogram at the height of the tourist season is $ 1.3. Choose a dragon fruit should not be very hard, but without traces of old age (mold, wrinkles, spots).
Application and useful properties of dragon fruit
This low-calorie fruit can be eaten raw or separately in fruit salads, used for making sweets, desserts, cocktails, and also to cook jam and jam.
Many tourists are faced with the problem that they do not know how to clean a dragon fruit. But this is not necessary. You can eat pita with a spoon, cutting the fruit into two halves, and also, cutting the skin as if it were a kiwi or an apple. Before eating it is recommended to put the fruit for several hours in the refrigerator.
According to the legend of dragons, the fruit gives man strength, and indeed, this fruit has a very positive effect on the human body:
- contains a large number of vitamins (C, PP, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin) and nutrients (phosphorus, calcium, iron;
- regulates the thyroid gland;
- eliminate stomach pain;
- strengthens the immune system and cardiovascular system;
- you can eat with diabetes.
Of course, such a useful plant, like a dragon's eye, will want to grow at home.
Cultivation of dragon fruit
- We take a fresh bone (the main thing is that the fruit should not be frozen during transport) and put in a tall pot filled with earth below, and on top of a layer of sand of 1 cm. It is necessary to plant it in moistened sand sideways, dipping it in half.
- Create the conditions for the greenhouse: cover with a cap or lid and put it on the battery. If he has enough heat, then in a week
the root appears, and after 2 - the first sprout. - When a fairly strong plant appears, put on a southern window without drafts and constantly illuminate it, so it is recommended to install a bright lamp next to it.
- If the dragon fruit has ceased to grow, it is necessary to check whether the pot is not small or if there is enough light, since this tropical plant is very thermophilic.
Knowing how to grow a dragon fruit, you can enjoy its tasty and useful fruits at home, and not in Thailand.