Dragon fruit is discovering a spot in specialty-coffee outlets world wide. Immediately, we hint the ingredient’s roots in Latin America and Southeast Asia.
BY EMILY JOY MENESES
ONLINE EDITOR
Featured photograph by Annie Spratt
One among my favourite issues about visiting my relations in Southeast Asia final 12 months was exploring the fruit stands: picket carts stacked excessive with colourful delicacy upon delicacy, a lot of them troublesome (or not less than costly) to get right here in america. Rising up, my mother and father, who had immigrated from the Philippines to america, would inform tales of those fruits of their childhood—ardour fruit, soursop, durian, and the notorious dragon fruit—which we might solely get our fingers on as soon as in a blue moon in Los Angeles.
Quick ahead to right now, and dragon fruit is changing into considerably of a family identify amongst espresso and beverage fanatics, even discovering a spot in Torani’s syrup lineup and on café menus world wide. In right now’s installment of “Know Your Components,” we’ll discover the fruit’s origins, historic use, and cultural significance, in addition to how a wide range of coffeehouses are showcasing its vibrant colour and vivid taste.
Taste Profile + Early Cultivation
Dragon fruit grows on climbing cactus bushes, which may thrive in each dry and humid environments and require little water and ample solar. The flavour of dragon fruit is considerably of a cross between pear and kiwi with a touch of citrus: refreshing, mildly candy, and barely tart and tangy. The fruit has a smooth texture much like that of a ripe kiwi, and might be scooped out with a spoon. What stands out probably the most about this fruit is its vivid pink, spiky exterior that resembles a dragon, therefore the identify.
Immediately, dragon fruit is prevalent in Southeast Asia (Vietnam is at present the world’s prime exporter), however the earliest dragon fruit cultivation and consumption might be traced to modern-day Mexico and Central and South America. A number of the earliest mentions of dragon fruit had been discovered amongst Aztec ruins, and plenty of historians imagine cultivation started even lengthy earlier than then. The traditional Aztecs and Mayans noticed the fruit as sacred, typically providing it to the gods in religious ceremonies. Finally, the fruit was launched to Vietnam by French colonizers and have become an integral a part of Southeast Asian tradition.
One other fascinating characteristic about dragon fruit is that its blossoms bloom just one night per 12 months. As soon as they’ve bloomed, fruit will start to kind, and, on common, the climbing cactus bushes can produce fruit for round 20 to 30 years.
Dragon Fruit at Specialty Cafés
Dragon fruit stands out on any café menu. Listed below are a number of of our favourite drinks together with the ingredient!
Dragon Fruit Latte: Saucier Espresso Store
Positioned within the Fairview neighborhood of Quezon Metropolis, Philippines, Saucier Espresso Store provides dragon fruit lattes seasonally. The store shares created the drink to develop prospects’ palates and present the big variety of flavors that may go properly with espresso.
Yuzu Dragon Fruit Matcha: Junbi
“Our yuzu dragon fruit matcha is one in every of our hottest and refreshing drinks,” the group at Junbi’s Waikiki, Hawaii, location says. “The yuzu dragon fruit is solely an extension of what makes Junbi so particular. Our matcha comes from a 100+ 12 months previous farm, (and it’s) hand-picked, shade-grown, stone-ground, and cultivated with care. We stand by our matcha, and we hope everybody enjoys it as a lot as we do.”
Dragon Fruit on a World Stage
Jackie Nguyen of Kansas Metropolis, Mo.’s Cafe Cà Phê (who’s on the duvet of Barista’s present challenge) shares her expertise collaborating with Torani to create their lately launched dragon fruit syrup: an ode to her Vietnamese American upbringing. By way of the collaboration, she hopes to highlight Southeast Asian flavors on a worldwide stage.
“We had been so honored when Torani agreed to creating a dragon fruit syrup with our employees. It was a extremely cool course of,” Jackie says. “My store completely serves flavors from Southeast Asia, and since we see completely different corporations that carry a wide range of loopy flavors like bitter sweet or bergamot, however not one thing simplistic to Asian tradition, reminiscent of dragon fruit, we introduced up issues in regards to the range of flavors which are (usually) supplied. It was actually cool that Torani developed this taste and trusted us within the course of.”
Recipe: Dragon Fruit + Calamansi Tonic
For these desirous to check out dragon fruit for themselves, I created this dragon fruit and calamansi tonic recipe, impressed by the flavors of my Filipino tradition and utilizing Torani’s dragon fruit syrup. Yow will discover calamansi or calamansi juice at most Filipino or Asian markets, but when the ingredient isn’t available in your space, you possibly can simply swap it out for lime juice!
Components
1 oz. Torani Dragon Fruit Syrup
1 oz. calamansi juice (optionally available: swap for lime juice)
6 oz. glowing water
Fill a glass with ice and glowing water. High with dragon fruit syrup and calamansi juice, pouring slowly on prime of the ice in your glass to create a gradient impact. Optionally, you possibly can add whisked matcha to create a matcha tonic. Combine earlier than consuming and revel in.
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