Wednesday, August 12, 2009

How to cut a Prickly Pear (Tunas)

As a young girl I grew up eating Tunas in the summertime and now I am passing this delightful tradition to my girl. The ruby red ones are delicious too. My mother was the one who usually cut them for us because they have tiny bristles or thorns (espinas) that can be irritating if you pick one up right where the bristles are. Eventually I learned how to cut them with a little tutelage from my mother. At the beginning there were many espinas to remove from my fingers with eyebrow tweezers. I'm a pro now.

These were washed with the rubber gloves I wear to wash the dishes with.


Cut the ends off. It's easier for me to hold from the ends to avoid the espinas.



Cut across lengthwise. About a quarter of on an inch deep.


It's a blurry shot, but you can see how far to cut-Right where the fruit begins.


Gently pull the skin back. The fruit will stay intact as you continue to pull all the way around.


Pull the pear shaped fruit out and you are done. I put the peels in the compost. Nothing wasted.


They are ready to eat.

I've cut this one in half so you can see that it has small seeds in every bite. Don't try to chew them because they're hard. It's okay, you can eat them whole. Some people are uncomfortable about eating the seeds. I've never had a problem eating them. They are juicy, sweet and very refreshing on a hot day. Enjoy!