warning:eat a few of these delicious kiwi like fruits("pintallas") and you will be in and out of the bathroom for 24hrs

Miguel says on Oct 14, 2006, 22:05:

Brode Put your pics in your gallery. You are killing the connections with those who are in dial up.

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arthur brode says on Oct 14, 2006, 22:26:

sorry about that miguel next time i will post pics of chicas.

http://www.calirentals.net/

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Oct 15, 2006, 00:37:

pitahayas, arthur, that's what they are called. Eat just one, next time. No probs.

Cheers,
Desi

«Sé que los seres humanos y los peces podrán coexistir en paz». ( George W. Bush, Saginaw 29-09-00)

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Oct 15, 2006, 03:40:

Somebody told me you can loose weight eating pitahayas. Is that true?

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Oct 15, 2006, 03:43:

no, kat they're just mildly laxative and if eaten in quantities they WILL keep you busy in the bathroom so I guess that's a way of losing weight too...

Cheers,
Desi

«Sé que los seres humanos y los peces podrán coexistir en paz». ( George W. Bush, Saginaw 29-09-00)

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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expatriate says on Oct 15, 2006, 05:01:

Share one You're supposed to cut one in half, from top to bottom and scoop out the fruit with a spoon. Give the other half to someone else because that's enough for one morning.

I've heard that if you don't bite down on the seeds you won't get the laxative effect.

And please, put links to the pictures, or make them smaller, or something.

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brad216 says on Oct 15, 2006, 05:27:

Don't bite the seeds Expatriate is correct. If you don't bite down on the seeds you will not spend the day in the bathroom. Had some of them on my last trip and I learned the hard way...or the liquid way depending on what you want to call it. lol

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arthur brode says on Oct 15, 2006, 10:11:

after my experience.iam not eating any just to be on the safe side

http://www.calirentals.net/

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goin_south says on Oct 15, 2006, 10:34:

they are very tasty, I find. But, maybe you need to avoid the seeds, in order to enjoy the tast altogether. that looks like a pretty tough job, though to de-seed. Maybe to invent a machine for the task, and make yourself a million pesos Col.

Where do we go from here?

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poco says on Oct 15, 2006, 11:10:

Fruits I have eaten these fruits for years without a single problem. A Pitaya (NOT pintalla) is one of Colombias best tasting fruits.


This is a link to better information

The Selenicereus megalanthus has yellow skin and clear to white flesh containing edible black seeds. It has smaller fruit and higher levels of sugar. There are 2 types available Red and Yellow. The red although very attractive is not as flavoursome as the yellow variety

This is one of my typical breakfasts in Colombia.



It is difficult to find and purchase these fruits unless you pay a fortune. Most of the local produce is trucked out to Medellin where the price is DOUBLE what they sell for in Valle Cauca. I have a deal with a local distributor to bring me a dozen when he loads for a trip to Medellin,, except,, I do not pay double.

So,, if these things are making you sick there are several obvious problems,,

1. Not washing your hands.
2. Not washing the fruit (and licking the outside).
3. Eating fruit grown using excessive and or incorrect herbicides. (This can be a problem with all food items)
4. The plants you ate were growing down stream from a Cocaine Processing Facility. (IE: toxic waste dump)

So,, if you want to be the GIB of misinformation,, go ahead and keep posting B.S. I love seeing B.S. about Colombia.

"When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy." Quote - General Tommy Franks

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Oct 15, 2006, 11:47:

pitahayas, pitayas but never pintallas... «Sé que los seres humanos y los peces podrán coexistir en paz». ( George W. Bush, Saginaw 29-09-00)
Pitahaya
Hylocereus triangularis

Also referred to as Yellow Dragon Fruit, this is one of the first known species of Hylocereus.

Native to Jamaica and Cuba. It grows in thickets, on rocks, or in old large trees. Pitahayas are tropical plants and are grown from 0 and 1800 meters of altitude.

The Pitahaya has an ovoid shape, and a thick yellow skin with excrescences and bulges that end with spine. inside there's a great mass of dense translucent white flesh that contains a multitude of small edible black seeds that can be scooped out in neat easy spoonfuls giving off a pleasant fruity smell.

The flavor is a little like a melon, with a multitude of crunchy seeds, which don't get in the way or alter the taste but do have a tendency to explode nicely when chewed.

Pitahayas are also referred to as fruit of the shipwrecked man of the desert because of its refreshing properties. It is preferable to consume after keeping it in the fridge as that permits the flavors to heighten resulting in an even more refreshing character. To eat Pitahayas cut them in half and eat the flesh with a spoon. They can also be made into juice and enjoyed as a cool drink. A syrup made of the whole fruit is used to color pastries and candy.

Nutritional facts for 100 grams of Pitahaya:

Ashes
0.68g
Fat
0.61g
Fiber
0.9g
Phosphorus
36.1mg
Carotene
0.012g
Protein
0.229g
Water
83.0g
Calcium
8.8mg
Iron
0.65mg
Riboflavin
0.045mg
Niacin
0.430mg
Ascorbic Acid
9.0mg

No really high nutritional values, but good, refreshing, and as I said before, mildly laxative fruit, about the same as fresh apricots.

Cheers,
Desi
(who also ate them for many, many years without any problem)

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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Cali2005 says on Oct 15, 2006, 12:22:

Come mas! Deliciousand potent!! Eat more! Their great. The fruits of colombia are absolutely delicious. The sad thing is that many of these fruits don't make it too other countries. Food exports get destroyed by customs agents of other countries looking for.... well you know the story.

Some people can handle no more than 1 and they go crazy. 2 tends to send me to the bathroom more than i like.

When i first moved to colombia, i thought i would eat 3, and it just happened that i had 2 spanish tests at Javeriana that day. Well lets just say that i wasnt doing to much studying before, between or after class that day!

Enjoy everything you can't enjoy in other countries instead of focusing on what you miss in your home country, focus on enjoying and discovering new things in Colombia. This is the best way to adjust and enjoy life in Colombia!

Viva Colombia

Medellin Apartments and Tours http://www.MedellinApartments.INFO

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goin_south says on Oct 15, 2006, 13:57:

sometimes one thinks more PBsH'ers need to have a Pitaya Party in order to get the s out of the PBHers ;)

not sure, but I think Poco is the one who has it spelled correctly, in case you happen to go looking for Pitaya, but rarely is Desi incorrect about anything, but I am wondering if they are talking about the same fruit

Where do we go from here?

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arthur brode says on Oct 15, 2006, 16:18:

Poco invite me over for breakfast.looks great....papaya,pitaya(i will pass),mango,arepa,queso crema,tinto....

http://www.calirentals.net/

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Oct 15, 2006, 22:13:

galecito, we're both correct
pitahaya or pitaya, both are correct. If you google it you'll find both spellings used interchangeably. I always spelled it pitahaya. Same fruit.

Cheers,
Desi
«Sé que los seres humanos y los peces podrán coexistir en paz». ( George W. Bush, Saginaw 29-09-00)

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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goin_south says on Oct 15, 2006, 22:18:

buena manana, Desideria. y, muchas gracias.

I wrote about it once on here and spelled it the way I thought it sounded (to me, pitaya) and no one knew what I was talking about.
On my second trip to Colombia, and upon having some of this fruit served for breakfast, I asked for more, more, more. I think it's one of the best-tasting fruits anywhere. But, I was warned after the second (thankfully, small!) helping.

Hence, my plea for someone to develop a pitaya de-seeding machine!

Where do we go from here?

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