Currently, exotic fruits are becoming very popular . One of them is pitahaya. Fruit (photo you can see below) is also called a prickly pear, pitaya and a dragon heart. The homeland of Pitahaya is the land of America. It is believed that the first people who consumed the plant were the Aztecs. And that was around the thirteenth century.
As a rule, the pulp of the so-called dragon heart was fed raw. Aromatic seasonings were obtained from its ground and pre-roasted seeds.
Pitahaya is a fruit that is the fruit of a tree or creeper cactus. The plant is very unpretentious and can grow even in the arid regions of the tropics. Currently, pitahaya cultivation is actively engaged in Mexico and Vietnam, China and Thailand, in Japan and the Philippines, as well as in Hawaii. Productivity exceeds all expectations. From one hectare receive more than thirty tons of exotic fruit.
Pitahaya is a low-calorie fruit. One hundred grams of fresh pulp accounts for no more than forty kcal. Inside the fetus is a white core. It has many small seeds similar to poppy seeds. The pulp of the fruit leaves the peel easily.
There are many varieties of pitahaya. In addition to raspberry fruit with white pulp, there is also a Costa Rican relative. His peel is red. The same color and flesh. There is also yellow pitahaya. The fruit of this species is characterized by the same yellow color of the core and surface.
The average fruit weight is 200-250 gr. Sometimes there are specimens weighing more than a kilogram. How to eat pitahaya? Very simple way. The fruit is pre-cooled and then cut into slices or small sized slices. The pulp from these pieces is eaten with a teaspoon.
However, pitahaya is a fruit whose use is possible not only in fresh form. Residents of Guatemala, Colombia and Nicaragua use its juice in the production of ice cream and sweets, sorbets and yoghurts. He is good for refreshing fresh. The pulp of pitahaya is often used to make sauces, jams and marmalade. And Mexican farmers make alcoholic drinks out of it. In cooking, even the flowers of a tropical plant are used.
Very aromatic tea is brewed from them. Not so long ago, a prickly pear found application in cosmetology.
The pulp of tropical fruit is part of a variety of masks for the body and face, lotions, serums, scrubs and creams. At the same time, pitahaya extract serves not only as a fragrance. It is also used as a vitamin and mineral raw material. And this is no coincidence. Pitahaya in its composition has ascorbic acid and thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. The fruit is rich in iron and potassium, calcium and phosphorus.
The use of a tropical fetus is indicated for people who have malfunctions in the endocrine system. These include diabetics. Eating a healthy fruit helps to heal stomach ulcers. Pitahaya pulp is recommended to be included in the menu when traveling and traveling in tropical countries. An amazing fruit in the shortest possible time will regulate the digestive process, which may be disturbed when changing climatic conditions. Great benefits of pitahaya and diseases of the vessels and heart.