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Mexican Lifestyles Food & Dining Exotic Pitayas On Sale In Guadalajara
Mexican Lifestyles Food & Dining Exotic Pitayas On Sale In Guadalajara | Exotic Pitayas On Sale In Guadalajara |
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| Written by Brian Levinson | |
| Saturday, 14 May 2005 | |
 'Veteran pitaya vendor Guadalupe Lopez Becerra has been selling the seasonal fruit in the Nueve Esquinas area for more than 50 years.' - Photo By B Levinson Do not be put off by the brain-like innards. Pitayas are a tasty and refreshing treat during the hot Tapatio summer. They come in white, pink, and orange colors, but the deep red "mamey" is recognized as the sweetest of the bunch. Prices depend on the size of the pitaya, and run about three to seven pesos each. Many of the vendors in the Nueve Esquinas make the 90-minute trip from Techaluta every morning and night. They work year-round caring for their fields, and can trace their family's pitaya roots back several generations. Carlos Lopez Becerra started in the pitaya industry more than 60 years ago with his mother. They arrived 5 a.m. each morning at the train station in Guadalajara, where they bought the pitayas from growers in Techaluta and resold them to city vendors. "The pitayas came in boxes, and still had the thorns on them," he said. "It was hardly a business. We sold them off for only 60 centavos a box, and the vendors weren't even able to pay. They were always in debt to us." His mother, Eliza Becerra, finally insisted on receiving pitayas that were already peeled of their thorns. She then sold them on her own in the Nueve Esquinas. "She was the first," said Lopez Becerra, and each year more pitaya vendors began setting up in the plaza. Today there are more than 30, and they even have a pitaya merchants' organization. Also on sale at the Nueve Esquinas this month are blackberries, persimmons, plums, mangos and guamuchiles -- a nutty fruit also native to Jalisco. This weekend is the annual pitaya festival, with free tastings, dance performances and mariachi concerts. The Nueve Esquinas pitaya headquarters is located at the junction of calles Nueva Galicia and Colon. |
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