by Dragon Fruit (or pitaya) is one of the favorite fruits of Malaysians and has been planted commercially in Sabah for some years. It is only recently I learn that, besides the two flavors, i.e. white and red flesh, our dragon fruit also has the “third”, and best, flavor.
Pic: the brightly red-skin dragon fruit is a familiar sight when I walked around fruit & vege shops
One day I saw some yellow fruits next to the red dragon fruit. They are small and ugly, but they cost twice more than the normal dragon fruit. Then someone told me that this was a yellow dragon fruit planted in Keningau district. They are only available in small quantity so people don’t see them often.
Pic: to have some fun, I put 3 types of dragon fruits side by side and photograph them for comparison. From left: Red-fleshed Dragon Fruit, Yellow Dragon Fruit and White-fleshed Dragon Fruit.
1. White-fleshed Dragon Fruit
Also known as Pitahaya blanca, its skin is red and the flesh is white color.
Note its shape is oval. It is priced at RM8 (≈USD2.70) per Kilogram (KG).
White-fleshed Dragon Fruit is the first introduced species. It was used to be the most common dragon fruit in fruit market. However, its taste is bland, with mild sweetness and sourness, if compared to the more popular Red-fleshed Dragon Fruit.
2. Red-fleshed Dragon Fruit
It’s also called Pitahaya roja, its skin is red too, as is the flesh. In photo below, you can see it has round shape.
Due to stronger sweetness and flavor, Red-fleshed Dragon Fruit has replaced White-fleshed Dragon Fruit in fruit market.
It’s sold for RM10 (≈USD3.30) per KG. You can find it almost all year round.
3. Yellow Dragon Fruit
The official name of this least-known species is Pitahaya amarilla. They are cultivated in Keningau in small amount. They are sold out fast before others know about such fruit. The sellers told me that the peak fruiting season of Yellow Dragon Fruit is between Oct and Dec. Yellow Dragon Fruit is also sold in other months, but in very limit quantity.
Yellow Dragon Fruit is the smallest among the 3, but the sweetest and most expensive, which is RM20 (≈USD6.70) per KG. You can find Yellow Dragon Fruit at fruit & vegetables shops of Foh Sang and Bornion in Kota Kinabalu, but it’s not always available.
However, the taste of Yellow Dragon Fruit is the BEST! Its sweetness is double of Red-fleshed Dragon Fruit, and it has no sour taste.
Pic: 3 kinds of dragon fruits on one plate, yummy..
Pic: “mixed” dragon fruit feast after the photography session LOL.
Interesting Facts about Dragon Fruit
Red dragon fruit juice is delicious and it can turn your poo into reddish color next day, it’s harmless so don’t be shocked.
Dragon fruit is not native to Malaysia. It originates from South and Central America. The vine of wild dragon fruit can crawl high up to the tree.
Dragon fruit is a member of cactus family.
The flower of Dragon fruit can be consumed as tea.
Pic: dragon fruit plantation in Balung, Tawau
Photos taken in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo
which part in sabah can i get the yellow pitaya?
I bought it at fruit and vegetable market in Foh Shang of Kota Kinabalu City. However, yellow pitaya is not always available.