Dragon Fruit ...

dragon fruit.. pitaya...lóng zhū guǒ....thanh long.... mark mang gohn .... 

kaeo mangkon .... they all refer the same thing... buah naga... 

the beautiful red-colored fruits...

 

i'm no fan of the these fruits... but during a recent family road trip to Bagan Lalang, we came across many dragon fruit stalls along the road...  and the bright red color caught my attention and we stopped by at one of the stalls... ada jugak pokok2nya.. so berenti nak tengok pokoknya sekali...have seen the trees many times before but this is the first time seeing them close and personal... :)

a dragon fruit tree with a solitary fruit

 the trees look like cactus plants.. 

and that's because dragon fruits do belong to the cactus family... 

a close-up of the fruit on the tree

 

the bloom

rows after rows of dragon fruit trees.. but none bears any fruits..

pelik gak dari mana buah2 kat stall tu datangnya.. . 

i sampled a slice of the fruit and surprisingly this variety 

tastes quite nice..it's mildy sweet and the red color is of course very attractive...

Dragon Fruit's benefits... (cilok from wiki :)) 

Dragon fruits are high in antioxidants, which help to fight carcinogenic free-radicals from forming in the body. In addition, they are a good source of Vitamin C, and are rich in minerals, especially calcium and phosphorus. They are also low in calories and high in fiber, while the seeds are have high polyunsaturated fatty acids. Aside from its nutritional content, the fruit is also said to help excrete heavy metal toxins from the body and lower cholesterol and blood pressure.Dragon fruits are also known to be a natural laxative.

so sapa2 yang selalu sembelit tu, boleh lah makan dragon fruits banyak-banyak....  :))