Nutrition Raw opuntia leaves are 88% water, 10%
carbohydrates, and less than 1% both of
protein and
fat (table). In a reference amount of , raw leaves provide 41
calories of
food energy, 16% of the
Daily Value (DV) for
vitamin C, and 20% DV for
magnesium, with no other
micronutrients in significant content (table).
Regional food uses The fruit of prickly pears, commonly called cactus fruit, cactus fig, Indian fig (meaning "
Native American", not "of
India"),
nopales or
tuna in Spanish, is edible, although it must be peeled carefully to remove the small spines on the outer skin before consumption. If the outer layer is not properly removed,
glochids can be ingested, causing discomfort of the throat, lips, and tongue, as the small spines are easily lodged in the skin.
Native Americans like the
Tequesta would roll the fruit around in a suitable medium (e.g.
grit) to "
sand" off the glochids. Alternatively, rotating the fruit in the flame of a campfire or torch has been used to remove the glochids. Today,
parthenocarpic (seedless)
cultivars are also available. The seeds can be used for flour. In Mexico, prickly pears are often used to make appetizers, soups, salads, entrees, vegetable dishes, breads, desserts, beverages,
candy,
jelly, and drinks. The young
stem segments, usually called pads or
nopales, are also edible in most species of
Opuntia. They can also be pickled. The prickly pear is so commonly found in the Maltese islands, it is often used as a dividing wall between many of Malta's characteristic terraced fields in place of the usual rubble walls. The prickly pear was introduced to
Eritrea during the period of Italian colonisation between 1890 and 1940. It is locally known there as
beles and is abundant during the late summer and early autumn (late July through September). The
beles from the holy monastery of
Debre Bizen is said to be particularly sweet and juicy. In
Morocco,
Tunisia,
Libya,
Saudi Arabia,
Jordan, and other parts of
North Africa and the
Middle East, prickly pears of the yellow and orange varieties are grown by the side of farms, beside railway tracks and other otherwise non
cultivable land. It is sold in summer by street vendors, and is considered a refreshing fruit for that season.
Tungi is the local
St. Helenian name for cactus pears. The plants (
Indian fig opuntia) were originally brought to the island by the colonial ivory traders from East Africa in the 1850s.
Tungi cactus now grows wild in the dry coastal regions of the island. Three principal cultivars of
tungi grow on the island: the "English" with yellow fruit; the "Madeira" with large red fruit; and the small, firm "spiny red". Tungi also gives its name to a local Spirit distilled at The St Helena distillery at Alarm Forest, the most remote distillery in the world, made entirely from the opuntia cactus. Cactus pear is being promoted and researched by
ICARDA for
India,
Jordan, and
Pakistan especially.
Folk medicine In Mexican
folk medicine, its pulp and juice are considered treatments for
wounds and
inflammation of the
digestive and
urinary tracts, although there is no
high-quality evidence for any clinical benefit of using opuntia for these purposes. Prior to modern medicine, Native Americans and Mexicans primarily used
Opuntia as a coagulant for open wounds, using the pulp of the stem either by splitting the stem or scraping out the pulp.
Other uses Dye production Dactylopius coccus is a
scale insect from which
cochineal dye is derived.
D. coccus itself is native to tropical and subtropical
South America and
Mexico. This insect, a primarily
sessile parasite, lives on
cacti from the genus
Opuntia, feeding on moisture and nutrients in the cactus sap. The insect produces
carminic acid, which deters predation by other insects. The carminic acid can be extracted from the insect's body and eggs to make the red dye. Cochineal is used primarily as a
red food colouring and for
cosmetics. Some farmers prepare it with a
fermentation method to remove the spines and increase digestibility.
Vegan leather The thick skin of nopal cactus can be harvested as an environmentally-friendly leather replacement.
Biofuel Bioethanol can be produced from some
Opuntia species. == Culture ==