Difference Between a Cactus Pear & a Nopale Cactus Fruit

Prickly Pear Cactus

• The prickly pear cactus and its many hybrids are grown across the South, Southwest and Mexico. While thought of as a desert plant, the prickly pear grows in gardens as far north as Michigan. Prickly pears are used as a natural fence, with its twisted, spiny pads keeping out both animal and human intruders in small villages and large cities, including Los Angeles.

Nopales

• Nopales are not actually a fruit. They're the small, young, fleshy pads of the cactus. Nopales are eaten boiled or fried in strips, cooked with eggs or pickled. Raw nopales are sliced into strips for salads; the texture and taste are similar to green beans. In addition to its culinary uses, the sap is used as a burn ointment similar to aloe vera and as mosquito repellent.

Cactus Pear

• The prickly pear's fruits develop after the cactus flowers, with each yellow, orange or red flower lasting a single day. As the flowers fade, the oval, seed-bearing cactus pears, also known as tunas, develop. The sweet flesh and juice is eaten raw, made into jam or cooked down into a syrup, which is then used for jelly or candy. The syrup may also be fermented into "coloncha," an alcoholic drink.

Harvesting

• Young nopales are harvested up to six times a year from mature plants. The small, tender pads are removed using long-handled tongs and a sharp knife. The 2- to 3-inch cactus pears are also harvested with long-handled tongs, by twisting and snapping them off the cactus. Use caution in handling both nopales and cactus pears; wear gloves while washing and removing the larger spines and tiny, hairlike spines called glochids.