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Cacti are fleshy and look like they can make a good veggie . But before you eat on them already , it ’s crucial to know there are comestible and vicious cacti varieties .
Can you eat cactus ?
All true cacti have edible yield and launchpad . spiny pear , Opuntia cholla , saguaro , and dragon yield cacti are dependable to eat as veg or fruit after removing their spine . However , some cacti like Lophophora williamsii , Bolivian , and San Pedro cactus have psychoactive compound and can cause hallucination .
List of edible cacti
Cacti are technically edible , but not all coinage are more often than not used as food . Some cacti are used consumed ceremonially for ghostly experience owe to their psychoactive or psychedelic effects .
Nonetheless , some cacti that are safe to feed are used as vegetables , with their pads being prepared and add together to salads . Other types , such as teh saguaro cactus(Carnegiea gigantea ) , are consumed during religious ceremony in some autochthonal cultures like The O’odham.[1 ]
Here ’s a list of edible cacti :
1. Prickly pear cactus(Opuntia engelmannii)
The bristled pear cactus is a type of cactus in the society Caryophyllales , Cactaceae juss kinfolk , and Opuntia genus . It is characterized by broad , mat , green pads cover in spines . This cactus is safe to eat , and is often used in stews , salads , and as a vegetable .
It is commonly eaten in Mexico , where it is called “ nopales ” or “ sabra . ” Both the pads and the yield of prickly pear cactus are edible .
The fruits taste like melon vine or flying lizard yield . Ripe prickly pear fruit are juicy and soft with belittled edible seeds . The flavor of a ripe prickly pear cactus fruit can also be compared to that of a watermelon or a kiwi .
Other citizenry report the taste of prickly pear cactus as Sweet and sourish , melon vine - like , kiwi - like , bubblegum - alike , earthy , or sour .
The prickly pear cactus is a good source of dietary fiber , vitamins , and minerals . According to the USDA Food Data , here are the nutritional fact of 100 grams of cutting burred pear :
author : splenetic pear ; USDA Food Data
Proper preparation of the pads before use of goods and services is important because the briery pear cactus hold back sharp , flyspeck spines . Remove the barbellate backbone on the pad before set up them like any veg , or eat them sensitive as part of a salad dish .
The ripe , violent fruits of the prickly pear are juicy with a sweet mouthful . However , to enter the juicy inside of the fruit , you ’ll first have to move out the skin - irritating glochidium and the cutis itself .
2. Cholla cactus(Cylindropuntia)
Cholla is a genus of cacti ( Opuntia ) native to New Mexico , northern Mexico , Arizona , Kansas , Colorado , and Oklahoma . It is also called the tree diagram cactus , cane Opuntia cholla , and tuna juell .
In the fountain , it bring on cherry-red - regal flowers that develop into bright yellow or brilliant yellow-bellied fruits . Chollas are characterise by their cylindrical stems that are section into joints .
Cholla buds and fruits are eatable , but they are cover up with sharp spines . remove the spines and glochid is laborious and involve taking a reefer and rolling the buds on the ground . Arizona natives are get laid to endocarp - roast Opuntia cholla cactus bud before use up them . The buds can be eaten with attic or added to an antipasto salad .
The buds of the cholla cactus are safe for human consumption and contain as much calcium as an 8 - oz chalk of Milk River . Other nutritional benefit of the comestible cholla cactus admit dietary character subject and the regularization of blood sugars.[2 ]
3. Dragon fruit cactus(Hylocereus undatus)
The dragon yield cactus , also call pitahaya , is a climbing cactus native to Central America and , South America , and Mexico . It is for the most part grown as an ornamental plant due to its fragrant flowers that flower only at night . In some cases , it is arise as an edible succulent .
flying dragon fruit cactus succumb with child colourful fruit that are edible . The yellow Draco fruit ( Selenicereus megalanthus)produces sensationalistic - shin fruit , while theHylocereus undatusvariety produces ruddy - skinned fruits . The yield ’s pelt is leathery but can be peel to discover the edible white flesh with bantam black seeds distributed throughout the bod .
What does dragon fruit gustatory modality like ?
Dragon yield has a subtly sweet preference that resembles that of a watermelon , Chinese gooseberry , or pear . The small black seeds are edible together with the fruit ’s juicy flesh . Chewing the flesh with seeds brings out a texture similar to kiwi yield .
nutritionary value
Here ’s the nutritional data point for flying lizard fruit ( per 100 grams )
Source : Dragon Fruit ; USDA Food Data Central
flying lizard fruit can be eaten raw or combined with milk , yoghourt , or other fruit and blended into a smoothie . It can also be bring down into belittled pieces to make yield salad or make jams and desserts .
4. Barrel cactus(Ferocactus sp.)
Barrel cacti belong to the Ferocactus genus and turn into a “ chunky cannular shape with a dumb concentration of stiff spines covering and protecting the fleshy succulent . It can easy be described as a spiky barrel that produces yellow or reddish blooms depend on the variety of the cactus .
The flesh of the barrel cactus is edible and typically glean by cutting off the top of the cactus and removing the spines and problematic extinct bed . Its attractive flowers develop into small fruits that are also eatable . The physique can be eaten raw or cooked in salad , stews , and other dishes .
5. Saguaro cactus(Carnegiea gigantea)
The saguaro cactus is a with child and tall cactus of the Carnegiea genus . It is native to the Sonoran Desert in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico and grows in an good , columnlike shape with branching arms .
The yield of the saguaro cactus ( called the sahuaro berry ) is edible and has been an important food rootage for autochthonous people in the Sonoran Desert part . Both the fruits and seed of this cactus are edible , with the yield having a angelical taste while the seeds savor like nuts .
The cum of saguaro yield are high in fats and protein and can be eaten new or cooked . Some hoi polloi grind them into flour used to make beverages .
Dangerous (Psychedelic) cacti
Many cacti are not poisonous but contain alkaloid and spines for defence mechanism . Alkaloidsare the compounds that make some cacti bitter to discourage animals in their native reach from eating the plants .
As already mentioned , some species of cactus are eat up as food for thought , but there are others that are used for cultural and religious practice due to their psychedelic properties .
Psychedelic compounds have the power to “ produce hallucinations and apparent expansion of consciousness . ”[5 ]
Here ’s a lean of cacti that are not used as solid food but have psychotropic effects :
Peyote cactus(Lophophora williamsii)
Peyote cactus stop warm alkaloid that make it extremely bitter to discourage being eaten by animals and humans . It is a non - toxic species but contains a hallucinogen called mescaline as the master compound .
Mescaline is a compound that have make psychotic consequence when exhaust . Some of the common effects of Peyote toxic condition let in delusion , agitation , nausea , and honk . In extreme cases , an overdose of Peyote cactus can be fatal .
According to J.D. Slothower of the Encyclopedia of Toxicology ( 2014),“mescaline produce an acute psychotic state after 3–4 hours … In loony toons of some 300–500 mg it produces optic and from time to time olfactive or auditive hallucination , thaumaturgy , depersonalization , and anxiousness depressive symptoms … Its physical effects include sickness , shudder , and sweating . ”[6 ]
Bolivian torch(Echinopsis lageniformis)
The Bolivian Torch Cactus is another cactus miscellany that ’s not comestible because of its bitter taste and psychedelic side effects . This plant check mellow sum of peyote and will activate optical and auditory hallucinations when take in .
Echinopsis zamnesiana
This cactus belongs to the Echinopsis genus and produce a strong psychotropic effect when take . It is columnar in shape , with spikelet hunt down along its duration .
Studies show that the Echinopsis zamnesiana cactus was used over two millenary ago to cast out evil spirits.[7 ]
San Pedro cactus
aboriginal to the Andes Mountains , the San Pedro Cactus can make the same psychoactive issue as Peyote cactus when ingested , as it also contains the dangerous psychedelic alkaloid – mescaline .
rough-cut side personal effects of consume San Pedro Cactus include palpitations , stomach pains , tremors , and hallucination .
What cactus has edible fruit?
There are several cacti coinage whose fruit can be wipe out . Here are some of the most common cacti whose fruits and germ are eatable :
FAQ
Is it safe to eat cactus?
Yes , many varieties of cacti are safe to eat and are considered a nutritious food for thought informant . Examples of edible cacti let in prickly pear , dragon fruit , saguaro , and barrel cactus . Commonly wipe out parts of cacti include fruit , pads , and flower .
Are there cultural and historical uses of edible cacti?
Edible cacti have been used historically and culturally for nutrient , medicine , and religious purpose . In Mexico , for example , comestible cacti are a staple solid food used in various dishes . Some cacti are also used for ghostlike awakening owe to their psychedelic properties .
References
