The prickly pear cactus is a versatile ingredient in recipes, with edible pads, fruit, and seeds. It grows in North American deserts and has yellow, red, or purple flowers. The fruit can be used in jellies, preserves, and sauces, while the pads can be fried or grilled. The plant is also sold in capsule form as a supplement with potential health benefits.
A prickly pear cactus, also known as prickly pear or tuna, has large, fleshy pads. It is an ingredient in a variety of recipes, including jams, jellies and dessert sauces. The pads, fruit and seeds of this cactus are edible, but the rind is not.
Prickly pears have flattened oval or round stems with spines, which can be long and thick or short and fine. Members of the Opuntia genus, these plants grow in North American deserts and other parts of the world. This cactus grows in the Southwestern United States and Mexico in well-drained soil. An extremely cold-hardy form of cactus, it can also be found in Canada.
This cactus has yellow, red, or purple flowers and ranges in height from 1 foot (0.3m) to 6-7 feet (1.8-2.1m). In addition to the normal cactus spines, they have additional, finely barbed spines called glochids.
Use the prickly pear fruit for jellies, preserves, pickles, and sauces. Combine banana, honey, wine vinegar, lemon and lime juice with fruit for a vinaigrette. To prepare a tropical fruit salad, peel and cut the prickly pear and combine with honeydew, guava, pineapple and other fruits. Unsalted butter, prickly pear, honey and coriander create a flavored butter. The fruit is also used in cakes and dried as a snack.
The stems of cactus, called nopales, are fried or grilled, similar to other vegetables. Use the pads in scrambled egg dishes and salads. Nopalitos refers to bearings once they have been cut and prepared.
When selecting a prickly pear cactus, avoid those that are soft or have dark, soft spots. The fruit is usually ready to harvest in late summer or early fall. Use leather or rubber gloves or long-handled tongs to pick fruit from the cactus. Ripen at room temperature.
Be careful to remove all thorns when using a prickly pear cactus in cooking. To remove the globules, use a knife to cut them or peel the skin. Other methods of removing glochids include passing the fruit through an open flame or shaking it in a bag of hot coals.
The bearings and fruits of this plant are useful for stabilizing blood sugar because they are rich in slow-absorbing soluble fibers. Because prickly pear cactus contains significant amounts of vitamins B1 and B6, it is also sold in capsule form as a supplement. Research is underway to determine whether cactus is beneficial in controlling cholesterol, obesity, gastrointestinal disorders, skin problems, and even viral infections.
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