Saw yet another fruit yesterday that was new to me! It was called "figue de barbarie" in French. I assumed it translated into something like 'Barbarian fig' - I had no idea that the english name would be so different. Turns out that it's called Prickly Pear in english and is actually a cactus! Then i knew why I felt a prick when i picked a few up!
I must say that I am a serious fruit-lover....there are very few fruits that manage to disappoint me......and this was one of them! It was just an alien taste. Could get a slight taste of melon but it wasn't really a nice taste. I couldn't even figure out what part of it to eat.....it was so full of seeds!
I don't know if it's just a tasteless fruit or am I doing something wrong here! Anyone know how to eat this or what to do with it??? Any recipes or ideas?
Really, it is not intended to be eaten raw. Rinse it cold to remove spines, and skin to remove the thick skin. A small membrane should still separate you from the seedy insides. The seeds are edible, but quite hard. From here you can make jelly, which is quite delicious, just follow standard jelly-ing procedures. My grandmother also used to make candy from it, I will see if I can find the recipe.
ReplyDeleteBought a few of these today at the farmer's market. The lady who sold them to us told us to put them in a blender, poor the liquified mess through a strainer into a cup, then pour a bit more water over the strained remains to get the rest of the juice. The resulting juice can be added as a mixer in drinks from lemonade to mojitos, according to her. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteThanks for that info! It does help a lot. Makes sense now....the bright color of the fruit makes it perfect for candy and colorful drinks.
ReplyDeleteAlexander, would love to try your recipe if you can find it.
Nick, do let me know what you do with your lot of prickly pear and how it turns out.
well I don't know if the prickly pears we have in South Africa are the same as what you have but I find them quite delicious! you can just cut the pear in half and then peel off the skin... tastes very good raw.
ReplyDeleteReally? That's good to know. Do they look the same as these?
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