There's a lot of angels, and some of them
come in the form of Prickly Pear cactus.
Prickly pear cactus has been a staple of the
Mexican and Central American diet for thousands
of years. In parts of the U.S. it has been
gaining popularity as an exotic, gourmet and
healthy addition to one's diet.
The prickly pear plant has two different
edible sections: the pad of the cactus (nopal), which can be treated like a vegatable, and the pear (tuna), which can be treated as a fruit. They grow wild throughout the American southwest, down to South America and up to Canada. The ones you may find at a local store or farmers market will surely originate from a commercial nopal farm.
WARNING: Please be careful when removing
spines from this plant. You can buy pads/pears
that are already de-spined.
I heard they go good with a Snickers bar!
June 8, 2008