Mysteries on #marketfriday

There are so many tropical fruits that I have never tried because they are not common in my area, as I live in a "temperate" zone instead of a "tropical" zone. Among those fruits are jackfruit, breadfruit, dragonfruit, durian, and probably at least a couple dozen more that I have read about in posts from @zord, @sreypov, @justinparke, and others who have lived in tropical areas of Asia and the Americas. I do enjoy trying new foods, so I often keep watch for the unusual.

The closest town to where I live is small, touting a population of only 3000 people, which I honestly think is a bit of a stretch. As such, there are seldom many exotic things to be found in the local markets. There is a grocery store that is operated by a regional chain, so they have access to produce which other stores might have difficulty obtaining. Their exotic offerings are certainly modest, but they occasionally surprise me. I can sometimes find Carambola (starfruit), Cactus Pears, Pepino Melon, and a couple other things.

During a brief trip to the market a few hours ago, I spied something I had never seen in-person, but only in photos — a dragonfruit! 😮 I have so wanted to try one of those since I first heard of them several years ago. Each one was priced at USD $6, though. I had the money to do it, but felt guilty spending that exorbitant amount for one single fruit, especially since I would be the only one sampling it. And there was no guarantee that I would like it, although my tastes are so widely varied that the possibility of that happening is rather slim. So, I decided to be a good girl and put it back.

When I first heard of dragonfruit, it was in a blog post written by someone from southeast Asia, so that is where I thought the fruit originated. However, I was mistaken! Dragonfruit is native to the tropical portion of the Americas (Mexico, Central America, northern South America). Apparently, transported specimens grow well in the Asian climate and appear to be part of the cuisine there now, at least in certain regions.

The English word "Dragonfruit" is the name given to fruits of several species of night-blooming cacti in the genus Selenicereus. The Spanish name for the fruit is either pitaya or pitahaya. The name of the genus Selenicereus comes from the Greek word Σελήνη (Selene) and the Latin word cerus (candle) because of the night-blooming nature of the cacti in that genus. Some species have a white, fleshy interior that is dotted with tiny black seeds, similar to a kiwi fruit, while some species have red flesh on the inside. Since the offerings in my market were marked "Red Dragonfruit," I assume that was referring to the inside of the fruits, although the outside was red, too.

Perhaps one day I will find them at a lesser price and won't feel guilty about it, and give them a try. I would love to know what the taste is like. Have any of you dear readers tried them? Can you describe the taste? Are they tart, sour, sweet, creamy, or what...?!?!?

Then, after tossing way-too-much food in my cart, I found myself in the frozen foods section of the market. I thought, perhaps, some frozen waffles would be good for upcoming breakfasts as a change-of-pace. They can easily be heated in a toaster or toaster oven. I found something I'd not noticed before (or maybe it's new, I dunno?) — pancake bites. 😳 I assume it's little balls of pancake batter with a filling. They had one with a berry filling and one with chocolate. I went with the latter, which I will probably try tomorrow morning with a couple of turkey-sausage links, my frequent "go to" breakfast protein choice.

According to the front of the package, it contains 18 pancake bites. The nutritional label on the back of the package suggests that a "serving" is 5 bites. Seriously...?!?!? So, if a serving is 5 pieces, wouldn't it make sense for the package to contain either 15 or 20 pieces...? What is going on with these companies...?!?!? 🤦‍♀ So, #marketfriday ends this week with more questions than answers, about the taste of dragonfruit and the disparity of servings in a package of pancake bites. But, there is no question that I am going to enjoy the avocados, oranges, bananas, potatoes, yoghurt, fish, and other things that I bought! 😋