Healthy fruit How do you eat a prickly pear?

The prickly pear has fine, extremely unpleasant thorns on its shell. However, those who want to get to the delicious flesh without injury need only a little skill and a few kitchen gloves. The ends of the fruits are cut flat, the shell is carved from top to bottom and peeled off. Already, the Exotin can be decorative cut into slices or fine cubes. The effort is rewarded with a refreshingly sweet-sour aroma that is reminiscent of melon or pear. The juicy pulp contains up to 300 small seeds that can be eaten with.
The exotic fruit refines fruit salad, yoghurt desserts and spicy dishes with game and poultry. A delicate appetizer are spherical prickly pear figs with serrano ham and goat's cheese. For pure enjoyment, the fruit is simply cut open and spooned out like a kiwi. Chilled and refined with a splash of lemon or lime juice, prickly pears taste especially good. The prickly pear is rich in vitamin C (23 mg per 100 g), B vitamins and minerals like potassium, magnesium and calcium. It contains pectin and the antioxidant amino acid taurine.

Healthy prickly pear. Picture: alexmat46 - fotolia

The prickly pear (Opuntia ficus indica) is originally native to Mexico. With Spanish sailors he arrived in the 16th century in the Mediterranean and is grown there in many countries today. It is adapted to extreme solar radiation, drought and nutrient-poor soils and can reach four meters high. The fruits are ovate and slightly flattened with wart-like elevations. Depending on the variety, the color palette ranges from yellow to salmon-colored to dark brown. After harvesting, the skin is brushed off to remove the fine barbed thorns on the skin. However, remaining spines can hurt the hands unpleasantly.

Prickly pears are available throughout the year, with the main supplier for our markets being Italy. Since the fruits do not ripen, soft and juicy specimens are the best choice. They should have no bruises and an intact stalk, otherwise they spoil quickly. When stored in a cool place, prickly pears can be kept for a few days.

Small note from the editor: Spines are protuberances of the epidermis and other superficial layers. They are relatively easy to remove, unlike thorns. On the other hand, thorns are transformed plant organs (for example transformed shoots or leaves). They are therefore firmly attached to the plant. Although the vernacular is different: roses have spines and gooseberries have thorns! (Heiko Kreutz, aid)