Cactus Pear

Also Prickly Pear, Tuna, Indian Fig, Indian Pear, Barbary Fig

This barrel-shaped “pear,” the size of a large egg, is the fruit of several varieties of Opuntia cactus and is actually a berry (check out the multitude of seeds). Enveloped in a slightly prickly, firm casing, the pulp is quite sweet, smells very like watermelon, and is soft and spongy—and a sensational color. In the United States, fruit skins usually range from medium green to dark magenta, while the interior may be a brilliant red-violet or ruby-garnet. Other varieties, rarely available here, may be chartreuse or yellow-ocher, inside and out. A pale-green, small-seeded, flavorful variety from Chile has recently appeared in U.S. markets. (In Israel, the word sabra, which denotes the cactus fruit, is also used to describe the Israeli temperament—prickly on the outside, sweet on the inside.)