Enter the Dragon

I am reconnecting with my quest to find the perfect fruit that has been abandoned for quite a while. I'm extremely picky when it comes to the variety of normal fruits that appear on the normal Canadian market, but have recently decided to reach out to some exotics......ohhhhh la la

Two candidates:

• The prickly pear fruit from the prickly pear cactus

• Dragonfruit
  

My deal with the prickly pear isn't with the fruit itself, it's getting to the fruit. As it's name suggests, the prickly pear is indeed, prickly. Getting off the casing is a chore in itself. I made the mistake of not holding onto the end of the prickly pear with a paper towel or glove at first, so I got a few micro cactus hairs stuck into various places on my hand. OUCH! You have to hold the end of the fruit while you peel it with a paring knife! The fruit itself is a bright purple-pink type of color and it actually tastes REALLY BAD in my opinion. So I'll pass on it.


The dragonfruit on the other hand is easy to open. You just slice it in half and inside is revealed a white color with black seeds. You scoop out the flesh with a spoon and it's very sweet and delicious! I highly recommend it! To be warned though.....in Canada, one dragonfruit generally sells for about $4.50 for one fruit. An occasional delicacy.