{"id":18325,"date":"2026-10-08T13:33:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T13:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/?p=18325"},"modified":"2026-10-08T13:33:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T13:33:12","slug":"know-the-facts-star-fruit-and-dragon-fruit-pitaya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/2026\/10\/08\/know-the-facts-star-fruit-and-dragon-fruit-pitaya\/","title":{"rendered":"Know the Facts… Star Fruit and Dragon Fruit (Pitaya)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Know the Facts…<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Star Fruit<\/div>\n
Star fruit comes from an evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. When you slice it crosswise, it forms a distinct, beautiful star shape.<\/div>\n
\u25cf Taste and Texture: Ripe star fruit has a crunchy, juicy texture. Its flavor is a mild, sweet-tart blend that tastes like a mix of pear, green apple, and grape.<\/div>\n
\u25cf How to Eat: You do not need to peel it. Just wash it, cut off the edges if brown, slice it, and eat it raw or use it as a garnish.<\/div>\n
\u25cf Health and Risks: It is rich in Vitamin C and fiber. However, it contains oxalic acid and a neurotoxin called caramboxin. People with kidney disease cannot filter this toxin, making it dangerous or even fatal.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Star fruit varieties fall into two main taste groups: sweet types with thick ribs and sour types with narrow ribs.<\/div>\n
Popular Sweet Varieties:<\/div>\n
\u25cf Arkin: The most common commercial variety found in grocery stores. It features bright yellow-orange skin, medium-to-large size, and a mild, sweet, crisp flavor.<\/div>\n
\u25cf Fwang Tung: Originating from Thailand, this variety produces long, pale yellow fruits with a very sweet, juicy taste and firm flesh.<\/div>\n
\u25cf Sri Kembangan: A large, sweet Malaysian variety known for its excellent honey-like flavor and attractive deep yellow-orange skin.<\/div>\n
\u25cf Kary: A Hawaiian selection that produces medium-to-large, very sweet, and high-quality fruit.<\/div>\n
Popular Tart \/ Sour Varieties:<\/div>\n
\u25cf Golden Star: A Florida variety with large, distinctively sharp ribs. It remains quite tart unless left to ripen fully on the tree until deep yellow-orange.<\/div>\n
\u25cf Newcomb: Another tart Florida selection with bright, sharp flavor profiles well-suited for cooking, grilling, or salsas<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dragon Fruit (Pitaya)<\/div>\n
Dragon fruit grows on a night-blooming climbing cactus native to Central and South America. It features bright pink or yellow skin with leafy green scales.<\/div>\n
\u25cf Taste and Texture: The inside is usually white or deep red, filled with tiny edible black seeds. Its texture is soft and creamy, similar to a kiwi. Its taste is mild and lightly sweet.<\/div>\n
\u25cf How to Eat: Slice the fruit in half. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon, or peel the leathery skin off and chop the flesh into cubes for smoothies or fruit salads.<\/div>\n
\u25cf Health Benefits: It is packed with antioxidants, iron, magnesium, and Vitamin C. It supports digestion and boosts your immune system without any major health risks for most people.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dragon Fruit Varieties:<\/div>\n
\u25cf White Flesh (Most Common): Easily identified by its bright pink skin and stark white interior. It has a very clean, refreshing, and highly subtle taste similar to an earthy kiwi or pear.<\/div>\n
\u25cf Red\/Magenta Flesh: Features a deep fuchsia interior. It delivers a much richer, sweeter flavor profile that tastes faintly of sweet berries.<\/div>\n
\u25cf Yellow Dragon Fruit: Features a bright yellow skin with white flesh. This variety is generally considered the sweetest and juiciest of all dragon fruits.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Know the Facts… Star Fruit Star fruit comes from an evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. When you slice it crosswise, it forms a distinct, beautiful star shape. \u25cf Taste […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-notices"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18325"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18331,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18325\/revisions\/18331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}