Know your fruit: The pitaya

The pitaya (sometimes spelled pitahaya) grows on a cactus about the size and height of a grape vine. The skin isn't eaten; the flesh inside is a pink-purple colour and soft, having a similar consistency to a kiwi; the taste is mild but very pleasant. They grow well in the central and southern parts of the island, and because they're relatively expensive, many farmers surround their pitaya orchards with barbed wire.

In Mandarin Chinese they're called huolong guo (火龍果), literally 'dragon fruit'.