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| PITAHAYA. |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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ORIGIN AND VARIETIES
 The pitahaya was discovered for the first time in wild form by the Spanish conquerors in Mexico, Colombia, Central America and the Antilles, who named him by "pitaya" that means scaly fruit. The yellow variety cultivates in high tropical and tropical zones (Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and in general the whole Central American area) and the red one, in Mexico, Nicaragua and Vietnam, between others. The principal area of production of red pitahaya in Vietnam is the oriental coast, from Nha Trang in the north up to the city of Ho Chi Minh in the south. The exports of red pitahaya of Vietnam are faced principally to the markets of Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, although also it is exported to the European markets.
HIS BEST EPOCH
The yellow variety is free on our markets from January until March and from June until September. The red variety is free only in June to August.
CHARACTERISTICS
 both varieties have an ovoid form. The yellow one is characterized for having a crust with thorns and the red one, for his thick crust and with bracts. The pulp of both is very aromatic and it is replete with seeds.
 the red one is of major size than the yellow one. The yellow one measures approximately 90 millimeters long and a diameter has from 65 to 70 millimeters. The red one has approximately 12 centimeters long and a diameter from 75 to 80 millimeters.
 the yellow variety, initially it is green and it yellows in the ripeness. Both have the pulp of white color and replete with tiny black seeds. The red variety is characterized because his rind is red and thick and has green bracts, in contrast to the thorns that there presents the yellow variety, which, on having matured, they return yellow, giving him a very decorative aspect.
 his flavor is exquisite, like sugary water, very thin and delicate.
The conservation and storage of the pitahaya, in waiting of his distribution, has to be realized attending on a few certain values of temperature and moisture. It has to survive between 4-6ºC and to a high grade of moisture (80-85 %). Thus they can survive up to four weeks in ideal conditions. The maturation takes place to temperature ambience, 20ºC. As soon as his ripeness was reached they can survive a few days to a temperature of between 0 and 4ºC.
HOW TO CHOOSE IT AND TO PRESERVE IT
It is known that the yellow variety is in his ripeness point when the color of his skin becomes yellow. In the red variety, the fruit is mature when the bracts become yellow. It is necessary to preserve in fresh, dry place, removed from the heat foci and without contacting the light of the sun. Only it is convenient to introduce it in the icebox if minx wants to take it a little bit before his consumption.
NOURISHING PROPERTIES
The pitahaya is almost a water portion delightfully sugary. There are fruits of very low caloric value, since scarcely they contain carbohydrates. He emphasizes the vitamin content C in the red variety, not like that in the yellow one. The eatable portion supposes 55 % of the entire weight. The vitamin C intervenes in the formation of collagen, bones and teeth, red globules and favors the absorption of the iron of the food, the resistance to the infections and has antirust action.
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