Cooking 101

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Secret Ingredient – Prickly Pear

“It’s what’s on the inside that matters.” Your mother may have been teaching you not to judge other people by the way they look, but she might just as well have been teaching you about the fruit of the prickly pear cactus.

A native to Mexico, South America and the Southwestern United States, the prickly pear cactus grows all over the world from Africa to Asia and Australia to the Mediterranean. It is enormously popular in many countries though it has only recently gained momentum in the United States.

The egg-shaped prickly pear or cactus pear is the fruit of several varieties of Opuntia cacti and is actually a berry. The color of the fruit changes as it ripens turning from green to yellow and finally to deep red or bright magenta. Though the large spines are often removed before marketing, the smaller, fibrous and almost invisible spines remain. The reward for looking below the surface and removing this slightly prickly casing is the wonderful melon scent and the sweet and fleshy red-violet or garnet-colored pulp.

Perhaps the reason the flavor is difficult to describe is that is different from plant to plant and region to region and ranges from bland to sweet. While one fruit may taste like a melon, the next may be reminiscent of fig or strawberry.

Peeling cactus fruit is a necessity, no matter what you plan to do with it. Hold the fruit by the ends (with gloves if you prefer) and cut a slice off the top and the bottom. Then make a skin-deep slash about one-eighth of an inch) lengthwise down the fruit. With a fork or two, peel back the skin from the cut. It should come off easily.

Serve cactus pears chilled and cubed or thinly sliced in fresh and colorful fruit cups or salads. Squeeze on lemon or lime juice to enhance the flavor. They’re also a delicious and unusual garnish for chicken or shrimp salad.

Around the world, the prickly pear is popular pureed with citrus juice and honey or sugar, then poured over ice for a refreshing libation that works well with a splash of rum or vodka.