After the spines have been removed, the fruit of the nopal is one of the most important food crops collected by the native population, thanks to its unique flavour. Mexicans like to eat it with eggs, in salads or even in tomato gratins. The subsistence of many families depends on it.

It is also used as a hedge to mark property lines, to make conche (a fermented beverage), and to cure an overindulgence in pulque (another fermented beverage). It also has industrial applications as a dye, rubber and anticorrosive.

In northern Mexico, it is used as cattle feed: although it lessens milk production, it is very inexpensive and produces animals of high quality. In the middle of the country, it is eaten both as a fruit and a vegetable and in southern Mexico, it is raised for the production of seeds. Its economic importance aside, nopal also plays an important role in soil conservation, protecting the top soil from erosion.

In Cooking
Nopal is the leaf of the cactus, used when small and tender. All the spines have first to be carefully removed.

The Importance of a Penny
You will be surprised to see that a copper penny is required in cooking nopal, but it's there for a good reason. First you have to rub it with baking soda and lemon. Then it is heated on a grill until it turns red, and thrown into the water used to cooked the nopal. This allows the water to reach its boiling point more quickly and also neutralizes the viscous substance found in the cactus.