pogoism

Continuing in my task of eating things that I’d never be able to find in the UK, last week I had cactus for dinner.

Yup. Cactus.

According to Wikipedia, cactus, or nopales as they’re called in Mexico comes from the Nahuati word nōpalli, for the pads. After they’ve been harvested, the spines are removed and can be sold fresh, bottled, canned or dried.

We found our nopales in the Mexican market in Sparks. They’re apparently very good for you…

Nopales are very rich in insoluble and especially soluble dietary fiber. They are also rich in vitamins (especially vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K, but also riboflavin and vitamin B6) and minerals (especially magnesium, potassium, and manganese, but also iron and copper). Nopales have a high calcium content, but the nutrient is not biologically available because it is present as calcium oxalate, which is neither highly soluble nor easily absorbed through the intestinal wall. Addition of nopales also reduces the glycemic effect of a mixed meal. Nopales are low carbohydrate and may help in the treatment of diabetes.

After getting home, and not really knowing what to do with them, we stumbled across a recipe for nopales and cous cous salad, which we decided to make. We steamed the nopales, and when we added the lemon juice, they got covered in a substance that looked exactly like mucus. Not the most appetizing thing I’ve ever seen, so we washed them a few times before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Verdict? Actually, quite nice. Nopales is slightly bitter, and has a distinct lemon flavor to it. Can’t wait to try some more nopales concoctions.

Next thing to try? Shark. Watch this space.

Oh, btw, the cactus fruit isn’t nearly as nice. I wouldn’t recommend it.

Photo via Flickr user dotpolka.