Prickly Pear

Photo by Liz Birnbaum, The Curated Feast for CCOF

Hey prickly pear, you’re lookin’ sharp!

The tuna, or prickly pear, is one of the most nutrient-packed foods on earth. It is high in calcium, vitamin c, and antioxidants. Prickly pears were used as a cure-all in some Native American societies. From indigestion to burn wounds, this sharp cactus had all the answers.

Like most true cactus species, the opuntia is native only to North America. In an often-overlooked direction of the Colombian Exchange, the Opuntia ficus-indica has been introduced from North America to Europe, and has had particular success in the Mediterranean.

It flourishes in areas with a suitable climate, such as the south of France and southern Italy. In Sicily, they are referred to as fichi d'India (Italian literal translation of Indian fig). In Sardinia, they are called figumorisca - Moorish figs). They can be found also in the Struma River in Bulgaria, in southern Portugal and Madeira. In Greece, it grows in such places as the Peloponnese region, Ionian Islands, or Crete, and its figs are known as frangosyka (Frankish, i.e. Western European, figs) or pavlosyka (Paul's figs), depending on the region. In Albania, they are called 'sea figs', and are present in the south-west shore.

Is this all need to you? I had fun doing the quick food history // food geography research on this!