Prickly Pear
Opuntia
ficus-indica
Prickly
Pear Opuntia ficus-indica (Indian Fig
Opuntia) is a species of cactus and a long-domesticated
crop plant important in agricultural economies throughout
arid and semiarid parts of the world.Prickly pears,
classified in the subgenus Opuntia, typically grow
with flat, rounded segments that are armed with two
kinds of spines; large, smooth, fixed spines and small,
almost hairlike spines called glochids that easily
penetrate skin and detach from the plant. Many types
of prickly pear can grow into dense, tangled structures.
Prickly pears species are found in abundance in the
West and Southwest of the United States and throughout
much of Mexico.
The Mexican flag and official seal
feature the prickly pear. (source)
Indian Fig Opuntia is grown primarily
as a fruit crop, but also for the vegetable nopals
and other uses. Most culinary references to the "prickly
pear" are referring to this plant. The name "tuna"
is also used for this cactus, and for Opuntia in general
(according to Alexander von Humboldt, it was a word
of Haitian origin taken into the Spanish language
around 1500).
Prickly pears for sale at a Mexican market, Zacatecas,
Mexico (source)
The fruit of opuntias, called tuna,
is edible, although it has to be peeled carefully
to remove the small spines on the outer skin before
consumption. It is often used to make candies and
jelly. The young stem segments, called nopales, are
also edible. The fruit is a favourite in Sicilian
cuisine, where it is called ficcudinia which is literally
translated as Indian fig.
Prickly pear seller, Morocco (source)
The prickly pear also grows widely
in the nations surrounding the Mediterranean and on
the island of Malta where it is enjoyed by the Maltese
as a typical summer fruit as well as being used to
make the popular liqueur known as Bajtra. The prickly
pear is so commonly found in the Maltese islands that
it is often used as a dividing wall between many of
Malta's characteristic terraced fields in place of
the usual rubble walls.
Nopals
Nopals are a vegetable made from
the young stem segments of prickly pear, carefully
peeled to remove the spines. They are particularly
common in their native Mexico. Farmed nopales are
most often of the species Opuntia ficus-indica, although
the pads of almost all Opuntia species are edible.
Nopals are generally sold fresh or
canned, less often dried to prepare nopalitos. They
have a light, slightly tart flavor, and a crisp, mucilaginous
texture.
Nopales are commonly used in Mexican
cuisine in dishes such as huevos con nopales (eggs
with nopal), or "tacos de nopales". Nopales
are also an important ingredient in New Mexican cuisine.
Nopals are very rich in insoluble
and especially soluble dietary fiber. They are also
rich in vitamins (especially vitamin A, vitamin C,
and vitamin K, but also riboflavin and vitamin B6)
and minerals (especially magnesium, potassium, and
manganese, but also iron and copper). Nopales have
a high calcium content, but the nutrient is not biologically
available because it is present as calcium oxalate,
which is neither highly soluble nor easily absorbed
through the intestinal wall.
According to Reuters, some 10,000
farmers cultivate nopal in Mexico, producing around
$150 million worth of it each year. Detection of the
cactus-eating moth Cactoblastis cactorum in Mexico
in 2006 caused anxiety among the country's phytosanitary
authorities, as this insect can be potentially devastating
for the cactus industry.
Nopal cacti in the Merced (a market of Mexico city)
(source)
It is becoming increasingly popular
especially in the United States
A Peruvian artist created
this cactus pear harvest diorama
with a plaster made from boiled mashed potato.
Links
How
to prepare prickly pear
Prickly
pear recipes
Prickly
pear cactus ice cream: step by step instructions
Prickly
pear varieties and information
All
about Opuntiads
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