 Native prickly-pear cactus, genus Opuntia
of the Cactus Family, shown at the right, has always been eaten by Mexicans, both
indigenous and mestizo. Many species and varieties of prickly-pear exist, some of them
almost or entirely spineless. The ones in the picture have thorns and are grown for their
fruits. If you brush shoulders with the cactus-eating culture, here are some terms you
need to know:
 NOPAL is the
de-thorned or never-thorned edible cactus. At the right you see a green, ten-inch-long nopal
pad of the type typically sold in Mexican mercados -- with its margins trimmed away, and
each bump where spines possibly could appear shaved or rubbed clean.-
- NOPALITOS
are sliced slivers of nopal. Nopalitos are often sold in mercados in
pre-weighed plastic bags. They make a very tasty dish when fried with onions and garlic,
and sprinkled with lemon juice, and constitute a favorite side dish with refried beans.
-
 TUNAS, a yellow heap of them shown at the right (a tub of sweet potatoes, or camotes,
above them) are cactus fruitx which, when ripe, contains a sweet, juicy, bright-red pulp
in which many small seeds are embedded. Tunas of wild species are often so spiny
that only a practiced Mexican can get at the pulp without pricking the fingers. However,
the cultivated species, Opuntia ficus-indica, is practically
thornless. There are three kinds of sweet tuna -- blanca, amarilla,
and encarnada (white, yellow, and red, respectively) -- and a bitter one, the xoconostle
verde, for seasoning stews and salsas. The Mixtecs make a drink called nochotle
of the tuna by smashing it in water, straining, and adding it to the mild, poor-man's
drink called pulque.-
 PITAYA, another cactus fruit, this one from the genus Hylocereus, the
genus of the Night-blooming Cereus. The fruit is sometimes called Dragon Fruit and
Strawberry Pear. Inside they are white with little black dots for seeds. One fan refers to
their taste as "refreshing and palate cleansing" and says " I have cut them
in half and frozen them. Makes a nice fresh substitute for sherbet in its own
shell." The cactus producing the fruit has fleshy stems reaching up to 30 feet
long and may climb onto walls or over trees using aerial roots. Sometimes you see pitaya
plantations where supports are provided for the clambering stems to grow over.
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