Nopal a Perennially Multi-Utilized Cactus

Many times a year my wife, Maria, will perform her own literal version of “living off the fat of the land.” While we are hiking and birdwatching on public trails near where we live in the highlands of the Mexican state of Michoacan, upon seeing suitable edible objects of her attention, growing in the wild nopal cactus, with a knife she will cut off many young and tender nopalitos/paddles and after they fall to the ground she will, gloveless, very carefully place them into a sack. Shortly after arriving home, Maria while wearing gloves will remove the clusters of exceedingly sharp spines from the green, fleshy, oval, and waxy feeling paddles. Sometime that day, if she does not eat them raw, Maria will either grill the whole paddles on a comal/griddle or will after cutting them into small cubes boil them so that she can then can make her favorite dishes from them.

You see, nopal cactus aka prickly pear cactus, thought to have first originated in Mexico, is found throughout much of the country, particularly in its central and western regions. This iconic, perennial cactus whose image appears on Mexico’s flag grows in semi-tropical areas. It is harvested commercially in large huertas/orchards, it is grown by some of the country’s indigenous peoples in their community gardens, and, of course, it is found dotting the landscape in the wild. Its uses and applications are many, for humans and numerous other sentient beings.

For human consumption the edible portion of the cactus consists of the paddles and the also spiny prickly pear fruit. The paddles, said to be the 5th most consumed vegetable in the country, sold fresh in modern supermarkets and traditional marketplaces, in addition to being able to be charcoal or pan grilled or boiled, can also be steamed, fried, sauteed, or as previously mentioned eaten raw. For many of the country’s indigenous peoples, like the Purepechas/Tarascans of Michoacan, it is a staple of their diet and, additionally, a major source of income as they travel from their villages to sell them in nearby urban markets.

The nopalitos with a somewhat tart taste and a flavor reminiscent of green beans and asparagus, unless cooked long enough can be quite “baba”/slimy in texture, similar to okra. While they often are used as an accompanying ingredient in stews and soups, there are many traditional dishes mostly from central and western Mexico that they are a main ingredient for such as the following: huevos con nopales/eggs with nopales; nopales rellenos/stuffed nopales; nopales asado/grilled nopales; ensalada de nopalitos/nopal salad; and nopales en chipotle adobado/nopales in chipotle chile sauce. My personal favorite (ok, really the only way that I like it as I normally find it way too slimy for my taste) which I have had numerous times in a restaurant in Bernal, Queretaro specializing in savory gorditas are blue corn gorditas stuffed with tender nopalitos which are grilled encased in the inedibly tough "penca"/heart of the cactus itself- cooked that way the nopal is not "baba" at all.

While the vegetable part of the nopal due to its oftentimes slimy texture is an acquired taste for many, the fruit of the cactus, rich in vitamin C and known in Mexico as “tuna,” is not. Typically green or red, with the red being the sweetest, tunas have a soft, sweet flesh that to many taste either like melons or like kiwi but not as acidic. Out on the trails growing wild where they normally bloom twice a year, for both Maria and myself, it is a joy to behold the yellow, pink, orange, red, or purple spray of blossoms that grow from the tips of the paddles as they ripen into fruit. In addition to being eaten raw, the tuna is used to make jams/jellies/marmalades, ates/fruit pastes, candies, ice creams, sorbets, syrups, wines, and agua frescas/non-alcoholic flavored coolers.

Dating back to prehispanic Mexico, the plant has been valued (realistically or not) for its medicinal purposes. A "healthy" food product, it is high in dietary fiber, potassium, niacin, vitamins A,B,C, and K, pectin, and mucilage. It is considered to be a useful antioxidant. Arguably, as there is either little or insufficient documented scientific evidence that it helps with any of these areas, nopal is said to be beneficial regarding diabetes/blood sugar level regulation, digestive tract cleansing, diarrhea, viral infections, cholesterol regulation, prostrate enlargement, protection of the liver, and alcohol hangover.

Not so arguably, nopal cactus is beneficial (at least up until the point that some of them may be slaughterered!) to many other non-human life forms. In primarily western, central, and northern Mexico, wild nopal is utilized as fodder for livestock. Cattle for its milk and meat, goats for its milk and meat, sheep for its wool and meat, horses for transportation and draft, mostly but not exclusively during the country’s long dry season, are fed nopal with cattle consuming 30-40 kilos a day and goats and sheep consuming 6-8 kilos.

Indigenous to Mexico for approximately 12,000 years and cultivated for around 5000 years, nopal has been a life sustaining source of food and nutrition for many species of wildlife such as javelinas, packrats, and desert tortoises. Cochineal a tiny paristic insect live on the nopal paddles. During the two blooming seasons in Churintzio and its environs we see countless numbers of honey bees doing their thing on the cactus’ colorful flowers. As an avid birder, on the trails I have learned to approach nopal quietly so as to not to disturb (ok, really to view and take pictures of!) the birds that may be perched on the cactus while either feasting on insects or the pear-shaped fruit; the birds most often seen thus are golden-fronted woodpeckers, curved-billed thrashers, and streak-backed orioles.

Moreover, this versatile cactus has other uses in addition to nutritional and medicinal. From the cochineal a brilliant red natural dye called “grana” can be extracted; It is also used in the making of some cosmetics, it can be burned as a fuel, and rows of the cactus can be strung together with barbed wire to make fences.

The woven textile that I purchased in Bernal which is a creative representation of a bright red prickly pear bearing nopal cactus that I have hanging on one of the walls of my ever-growing home “Mexican museum” is a daily reminder for me of the multiple purposes of that Mexican icon. However, if I really want to get a more comprehensive feel for its aesthetic and utilitarian uses, I just have to walk a short distance from my house to view and appreciate them. Then, more than likely, on the way back Maria will be toting home a sackful of that verdant, oval-shaped, and spiny (to some!) delicacy.