Are pithya still available this time of year in the Baja? I am thirsty for one of those wonderful pithya margaritas.
Iflfyishkrafty - 10-10-2010 at 12:16 PM
What's a pithya??toneart - 10-10-2010 at 12:18 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by krafty
What's a pithya??
I was afraid to ask.
PITAHAYA or PITHAYA
David K - 10-10-2010 at 12:26 PM
We wrote about it back in 2005... lots of posts... perhaps one of the most delicious fruits on earth... and they grow on cactus right in Baja
California!
Note, as with other fruits around the world, there are many other fruits that share the same name. There is another non-related but delicious fruit
called pithaya or pitahaya that is being marketed under the exotic name 'dragonfruit'. It grows on a vine in trees, above ground.
The pithayas famous in Baja come from two cactus varieties... Pithaya dulce (Sweet Pithaya) is the Organ Pipe Cactus, and is common in Baja Sur.
Pithaya agria is the lower sprawling cactus found from the El Rosario area and south. Even though it is called a Sour Pithaya, it is delicious as
well.
[Edited on 10-10-2010 by David K]DENNIS - 10-10-2010 at 12:32 PM
It has two spellings. If I correctly recall, the book, "Journey Of The Flame," refered to them as Pitahaya.
Yes, they still should be available. We have seen bumper crops into December on the East Cape, but, the quantity and distribution of the fruiting
cactus seems to vary widely from year to year. Good Luck.shari - 10-10-2010 at 12:37 PM
It was my pleasure to serve Iflyfish his first pithaya margarita here...but this year we havent seen any yet although it is now the
season...dang...just not enough rain maybe.astrobaja - 10-10-2010 at 12:42 PM
oh my gawd that sounds good Shari, yet another reason to go and visit you!David K - 10-10-2010 at 12:42 PM
It was a late season in 2004... late November when Antonio and I had them in San Quintin on our way north from El Rosario... sold from the back of a
truck that brought them north from La Paz area, as I recall.DENNIS - 10-10-2010 at 01:03 PM
The Indians used to look forward to the pitahaya season. From what I could gather, they would ferment on the cactus and the indians would drop
everything and eat them till they were knee-crawling drunk. It was a ritual that lasted for days.
Again, my reference is "Journey Of The Flame," Nordhoff's book. The chapter of the book was "Year or Season of the Pitahaya." Is your copy handy,
David?
I may be wrong about some of this stuff since it's been around 35 years since I read it. I think it's back on the market in reprint.BAJA.DESERT.RAT - 10-10-2010 at 02:30 PM
Hola, yes, great eating ! i was told that pitahayas are only available from july-august in the east cape and we would stop in el triumfo and buy
gallon size cans for about 80 pesos.
miraflores has a pitahaya festival around the end of july or so and the same, gallon cans for about 80 pesos. very nice festival with carnival rides
for the kids and lots of food stands and super loud music. very friendly and very nice people.
there is another type of pitahaya that has about 1/4 inch size seeds that are hard as a rock but not as good and are called tunas.
BIEN SALUD, DA RATvandenberg - 10-10-2010 at 02:49 PM
Did see lots of folks in the El Triunfo area selling them along the road. Didn't get any, because had no idea how long they'll keep. And Osprey does
bloody maries, his specialty.DavidE - 10-10-2010 at 02:58 PM
Makes some of the best agua fresca in Mexico. Look for bedraggled young men standing on the side of the highway bearing buckets or plastic bags.
Pitahaya fruit like tunas are a b-tch to get, and need to be de spined. Don't begrudge what seems to be a rather high price for a small amount of
fruit. Africanized bees and yellowjackets are also attracted to the fruit.BajaBlanca - 10-10-2010 at 03:06 PM
everyone is hunting for them around la bocana and the scuttlebutt is that it is indeed still too early in the season to get them ...DENNIS - 10-10-2010 at 03:14 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by DavidE
Look for bedraggled young men standing on the side of the highway bearing buckets or plastic bags.
Bedraggled? Really?BAJA.DESERT.RAT - 10-10-2010 at 05:13 PM
Hola, i've been told the people picking them also have to be on the look out for rattlesnakes !
BIEN SALUD, DA RATIflyfish - 10-10-2010 at 09:08 PM
Thanks, my bad on the spelling. I looked and looked up north in Oregon and could only find Tuna, the fruit of the Nopal, not a sweet as the Pithaya, I
got Draton Fruit from a large Asian Market but that too was not as sweet. I still savor the wonderful flavor of those amazing cactus fruit and will
look for them by the road on our way down.
Thanks David for the clarification and to Shari for the introduction!
IflyfishDavid K - 10-10-2010 at 09:10 PM
The spines scrape off very easily, and the skin peels off like a banana's... not at all like the 'tuna' or prickly pear cactus apples. The fruit is a
globe the size of a baseball... luscious, with tiny seeds that are consumed as you would a strawberry's seeds. It is a fantastic fruit.
Iflyfish - 10-10-2010 at 09:17 PM
The color is amazing, I did not have as many crayons in my box as Mrsfish, who could no doubt name the color, some sort of deep red/purple/magenta
color, beautiful in and of itself.
Devilish look David, like you have just consumed fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil! I know that look!
