Pitahaya

The pitahaya is a cactus plant, and as such, resistant to drought.

The fruit is ovoid in shape, 10 cm long by 6 cm wide and usually presents from birth a green color that turns yellow or red depending on the cultivar, as it develops, offering a scaly skin whose special characteristic gave rise to its name “pitahaya”, which in Haitian means scaly fruit. The rind has clusters of hard, sharp thorns that break off easily and must be carefully removed before harvesting the fruit to avoid punctures. It is a tasty fruit that contains a soft, sweet, soft pulp in the yellow cultivars and crimson in the red-skinned varieties, which tend to contain less sugar.3

Pitahaya aids in the creation of red blood cells. Ninety percent of the fruit is composed of water and it is rich in iron, calcium and phosphorus; it also contains vitamins B, C and E. It is rich in fiber which helps the intestinal transit. Its energy value is 210 kJ/100 g.