John Myers
Peel a prickly pear – that’s how it’s done
If you want to prepare a prickly pear as a snack, it is often prickly: the thorns are very small, barely visible, and difficult to remove. However, with some safety precautions, you can eat the fruit without worry or pain.
- First, take thick rubber gloves and put them on before you tackle the prickly pear.
- Cut off both ends of the prickly pear.
- Then use a sharp knife to make a longitudinal cut through the shell from end to end.
- You can then easily peel off the skin of the fruit from the cut all around.
- If you don’t have rubber gloves handy, use a fork. Poke these through the fruit and hold the prickly pear in place. Then cut the prickly pear lengthways and peel off the skin.
- The refreshing pulp of the prickly pear tastes sweet and sour and is great for dessert or ice cream, for example.
- Alternatively, halve the prickly pear and spoon the flesh out of the shell.
- Tip: There are now prickly pear breeds that no longer have spines.
