The Dragon Sees Red
Red is often associated with passion. For the Chinese, red is the absolute must-have colour during the Chinese New Year. So "seeing red" is actually very auspicious.
So why this obsession with red?
This takes us way back to the times of legends when magic and mystery prevailed …
Long long ago, there was a ferocious beast called Nian that tore through villages, terrorising people, destroying homes and eating crops, livestock and even children. It was a hideous beast that had the brutish body of a bull with a huge lion's head. The villagers soon discovered that this creature was not as powerful as it appeared to be. There were three things that were kryptonite to Nian - fire, noise and the colour red. Bring in these three things and the beast would turn tail and flee, leaving the villagers alone.
With the defeat of this evil creature, the colour red became a symbol of good luck and good fortune. And that has carried on through the centuries till today. Any household that celebrates Chinese New Year would have a smattering of red somewhere for decoration - red lanterns, red paper cuttings, red scrolls with lucky sayings on them etc. This is a good time to get that sexy red dress you have always wanted to buy but did not have a cocktail party to wear it to. Chinese New Year is a much more joyous occasion for you to shine in a red dress!
The Auspicious Red Dragon Fruit
12 February 2021 is when Chinese New Year starts and it goes all the way until 22 February. Feasting and merrymaking are the highlights of any festival and Chinese New Year is no different. Food is an important part of every festival and what better fruit to have during Chinese New Year than the luckiest fruit of all - the Red Dragon Fruit! Sure there are many other red fruits around, like strawberries, cherries, red apples, watermelons etc but how many of these are red and have the auspicious word "dragon" in them?
The Red Dragon Fruit is a highly auspicious fruit, considering its attractive red colour and having the word "dragon" in its name. The dragon is a highly valued creature in Chinese culture, it is an animal of the emperors and the only mystical creature in the Chinese zodiac. With an auspicious colour and lucky animal attached to it, you would want to have this fruit in abundance during Chinese New Year!
Exotic Origins
So what exactly is this Red Dragon Fruit and where does it come from? It is a fruit that intrigues with its appearance, taste and name. And we have not even started telling you about its benefits yet!
The Red Dragon Fruit, otherwise known as the Pink Pitaya or Strawberry Pear, is a rather unusual looking fruit that looks like a small rugby ball, is bright red or pink on the outside and has green spiky leaves springing up all around it. It may look a bit intimidating but once you cut it up, you can see it has a soft flesh that is pink-red peppered with tiny black seeds. It has a refreshing texture and a mild sweet flavour.
This exotic fruit is now commonly seen in Asia, but it is actually native to southern Mexico and North America. Legends are always interesting to learn about, regardless of how true they are, and the Red Dragon Fruit has its own mystical origins …
Imagine a time in the distant past when the world was filled with fire-breathing dragons. They roamed the earth and engaged in battles. While terrified plebians trembled indoors, soldiers bravely faced these powerful dragons on the battlefield. During a battle, whenever a dragon breathed fire, the last thing to emerge was a fruit. When a dragon was slain, the fruit was collected by the soldiers. This became a symbol of victory and the soldiers would proudly present it to the Emperor. And now we come to the not-so-pretty part of the legend - after the victory, the soldiers would actually consume the flesh of the dragon. It was not because they were particularly famished after a heavy battle. It was believed that those who ate the flesh of a dragon would be endowed with the strength and power of the dragon.
Luckily for us, we do not need to don our armour and go dragon-hunting. We have the Red Dragon Fruit, a proud descendent of this magical fruit spewed forth by these fire-breathing dragons. We can go to a market and buy several Red Dragon Fruits and enjoy them calmly and safely at home and still benefit from its nutritional prowess!
Power-Packed Red Dragon Fruit
My Blue Tea is always on the lookout for unique superfoods and ingredients that are natural and power-packed with nutrients. So this Red Dragon Fruit was definitely on our list of Must-Haves and we are having a special launch price for this amazing superfood now. Its list of benefits is endless, ranging from keeping your heart healthy to helping prevent cancer.
It is bursting with natural goodness and as a teaser, these are just a few of the powerful elements the Red Dragon Fruit contains:
Antioxidants e.g. flavonoids, phenolic acid, betacyanin
Lots of fibre
Full of prebiotics
High in magnesium
Rich in phytonutrients
… and … it has zero fat!
To learn more about the benefits of the Red Dragon Fruit, read here.
My Blue Tea's Red Dragon Fruit Powder can be used in yoghurts, smoothies, desserts and anything that your creativity can come up with! Check out some of these amazing creations made with My Blue Tea´s Red Dragon Fruit Powder!
Pop quiz:
What's red and has a dragon in it?
The Red Dragon Fruit!
This is a combination of two powerful symbols of good fortune. Get creative with this Red Dragon Fruit powder with your Chinese New Year dishes and share with us how you used this amazing ingredient to energise and boost your start to the new year!