One of the many unusual fruit varieties that’s begun popping up in grocery stores around the country in recent years is the cactus pear, also known as the prickly pear, cactus fig, or tuna fruit. These strange-looking fruits are, true to their name, the annual edible growth of the prickly pear cactus, native primarily to the southwestern United States and Mexico.
What Does A Cactus Pear Taste Like? The flavor of a cactus pear is sweet, but somewhat bland, similar in flavor to a melon. Despite the name, the fruit is not actually a member of the pear family. It was simply named that because the prickly fruit resembles a pear in size and shape. The pads of the prickly pear cactus, called nopales, are also edible, but are not commonly available outside of their native region. Unlike the fruit, nopales are not sweet, but are tart and crisp.
Cactus pears come in a range of colors, from lime green through yellow, orange, and beet red. The colors are a natural variation, and do not indicate maturity. They are covered in rough bumps, called glochids, bearing many tiny, sharp spines.
How To Eat A Cactus Pear To eat a cactus pear, it is important to first remove the spines. If picking your own, be sure to wear thick gloves when removing the glochids. One traditional method for removing them is to roast them off in an open flame, such as a campfire. You can also use something abrasive to brush them off, or just cut them off with a knife.
If you’re buying a cactus pear from the store, the spines should have already been removed, but you’ll still want to remove the tough outer skin. Using a sharp knife, slice off both ends of the cactus pear and discard them. Next, cut a long vertical slice along the length of the body of the cactus pear. Take hold of a corner of the thick skin and carefully peel it back, away from the flesh of the fruit. If this proves too difficult, simply slip your knife under the skin and cut it away.
The fruit contains many small seeds, which are edible, though many people choose not to eat them. If you don’t mind the seeds, it can be a wonderful treat to just slice into a cactus pear and enjoy it raw. The sweet juice also makes a great addition to beverages, such as lemonade or mojitos, and can be made into jelly, sorbet, or any number of other sweet treats.
Here are some recipes to help you get to know this curious fruit:
Cactus Pear Juice
Cactus Pear Sorbet
Cactus Pear Juice
Did you know you’ll need a torch to harvest these fruits in the wild? Take a look:
Cactus Pear Sorbet
Cactus Pear Salad
Jaime McLeod is a longtime journalist who has written for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including MTV.com. She enjoys the outdoors, growing and eating organic food, and is interested in all aspects of natural wellness.
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