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Dragon Fruit

Most fruits in Indonesia are seasonal and one of my favourites is Dragon Fruit. It is easily recognised with its round shape, often red coloured with prominent scales. The thin rind encloses the large mass of sweetly flavoured white or red pulp and small black seeds. Some varieties are pinkish or yellow. The good news is that this fruit is good for your body as it is rich in vitamins, especially Vitamin C. The flesh is eaten raw and is mildly sweet and low in calories. Some people have likened it to the Kiwi Fruit mainly because of the prevalence of sesame seed-sized black crunchy seeds found in the flesh. Just don’t eat the skin or the seeds as they are both indigestible. Interestingly, this fruit can be converted into a juice or wine and it flowers make great tea once steeped.

The pitaya, or dragon fruit, has become immensely popular with the folk of the Riau Islands. Previously the fruit was imported from Malaysia. The two places it grows prolifically are on the islands of Rempang and Galang both of which are islands in the Riau archipelago. Here is a related article I was reading yesterday.

Photo Credit: www.tradewindsfruit.com