Cactus Pear: More than a Prickly Face

Desert dwellers luck out this time of year because cactus pear is available by the bucket load. In fact, the Spaniards called the cactus pear “the fig of the Indians” because they are so abundant.

If you are new to the cactus pear bandwagon, beware. The seemingly prickless fruit may leave little cactus splinters in your fingers. The barbed hairs are known as glochids and are almost invisible. But you know anything that is so well protected and a little work to eat is going to be delicious. Once you carefully peel of the thick outer skin and get inside you will be pleased. The beet red interior is photograph worthy—if you are into deep Kool-Aid red. Learn exactly how to eat a cactus pear with these instructions!

The flesh of the cactus pear (also called tuna in Spanish) has pebble-like seeds in the fruit that are difficult to get used to, but they are edible. They are hard to chew so it is more of a spoon and slurp kind of fruit. Prickly pears taste very similar to kiwis. They are not very sweet and can be compared to a muted watermelon flavor.

Naming prickly pear as the next super fruit may be a bit overkill since most of your cactus pear indulgences will be in the form of candy, jellies and sweetened beverages. But the cactus pear is increasingly taking up shelf space in supermarkets and farmer’s markets, so if you get your hands on a whole fruit you will reap the nutritious benefits. Raw cactus pear is high in vitamin C, magnesium, fiber and phytonutrients. They are relatively low in calories and fat—only 40 calories and .5 grams of fat for a medium pear.

In addition to being sliced and diced like a pineapple and being used as a topping on yogurt or cereal, our cactus fruit and all of its beauty can really spruce up your dishes. You can use cactus pear in any recipe you would use an apple. Try some of these recipes from our prickly pear focused menu:

• Give your fruit salad an instant makeover with this prickly pear cactus fruit salad.
• Speaking of salads, you can make a lightly sweetened dressing for your greens by shaking together prickly pear puree, olive oil, salt, white wine vinegar and a pinch of sugar.
• Have a fall birthday party to celebrate? Make these cupcakes with pink prickly pear frosting.
• Spice of the cactus pear flesh and bake them. We won’t tell if you serve them with a scoop of ice cream.
• Want to drink something flirty and pink? This cactus pear lemonade is for you and will transport you to any beach location you wish to be at.

Would you give the fruit of a cactus a try? What color is your favorite fruit?