If you have ever visited or lived in North America, South America, or areas with subtropical latitudes, you have likely seen an edible cactus in the Opuntia genus. These cacti and their fruits are very popular in Mexican, Ethiopian, Moroccan, South African, Peruvian, Argentinan and Chilean cuisine.
We have several species of Optunia growing in the southeastern US, yet too few people know about or take the time to appreciate the accessibility, nutritional, and medicinal potential that this native plant has to offer. The most common species that I see growing among the wilds and urban areas of Georgia is Opuntia humifusa, often referred to as the eastern prickly pear. Both the pads and fruit (prickly pear) of this plant have been eaten by humans around the world for centuries. You'll even find them in most groceries, although they are typically an imported hybridized species.
If harvesting the cactus pads yourself, you will want to use long tongs or leather gloves to avoid getting the tiny, difficult to see prickles stuck in your hands! The pads of the cactus make a delicious vegetable with the slight acidity of bell pepper and slimy texture of stewed okra. In Mexico, these pads are referred to as nopales, and are traditionally cleaned of prickles, boiled, and washed to remove the sliminess before cooking. In Mexico, nopales are also grilled and put on tacos or made into a salad. Here are links to Mexican Chefs demonstrating recipes of how they prepare nopales!
Nopale Salads (Mexico)
I personally don't mind a little sliminess, having grown up with okra, so I usually just pan sear the chopped nopales without boiling them first to save time. They can even be eaten raw in a salad or thrown into a smoothie if you don't want to lose any nutritional value to cooking. The pads are high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamin C, and vitamin A, and contain vitamin B complex, vitamin K, calcium, potassium, manganese, magnesium, and small amounts of other minerals.
The Opuntia flowers bloom in the spring with bright yellow radially symmetrical flowers, attracting all kinds of insect pollinators such as bees, wasps, butterflies, and flies.
The blooms later become the club shaped fruits, called prickly pears or tuna in Mexico, that ripen from green into a deep purply-red in the late summer. The fruits have a very subtle sweetness and taste similar to watermelon. In Mexico, it is common to make a prickly pear beverage (see recipe). Traditionally, Native American tribes would mash the fruit to make a dessert, boil the mashed fruit down into prickly pear syrup, juice or jelly or dry the fruit to store for winter.
The fruits of the cactus are nutritive - high in bioactive antioxidant compounds (betalains, ascorbic acid and polyphenols), fiber, potassium, calcium, vitamin C, magnesium, vitamin B6, iron, protein, and fat. The fruit extracts have also been shown to have antiulcerogenic, antioxidant, anticancer, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, and antiproliferative activities, making them a potentially healthful/healing food.
Traditionally, the deep reds and purples of the tunas were extracted as juice and used to dye textiles.
I share this information in hopes of celebrating the traditions around this valuable plant ally, in hopes that it will change the way you think about the plants you pass by on a daily basis, and perhaps inspire you to explore new ways to be in relationship with theses plants if you aren't already!!
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