Edible cacti

We believe that all inhabitants of planet Earth know about the existence of such plants as cacti. The thing is that cacti grow on all continents. Of course, on the territory of not every country in the world, cacti grow in the wild. However, many lovers of domestic plants grow various types of ornamental cacti both at home on the windowsill and in winter gardens, greenhouses and, if possible, in gardens right in the open ground.

At the mention of cacti, most imagine a plant that is densely strewn with needles. In their biological structure, cacti or Cactaceae are a whole large family of flowering perennial plants, which are assigned to the order of the Carnivorous. Scientists believe that cacti began to develop about 40 million years ago.

Cacti can be considered representatives of some of the most ancient plants on planet Earth. Plants grew at a time when North America was not yet connected to South, since the planets had not yet undergone tectonic changes. The homeland of cacti is considered the territory of modern South America.

Currently, on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica, you can find cacti of the species Opuntiev. Not many people know that in the territory of their growth, cacti were used more often as a food, as well as a medicinal and ritual plant. In fact, edible cacti occupied an important place in the diet of many ancient civilizations that inhabited the American continent and Indochina.

Perhaps the most common and widely consumed type of edible cacti can be considered Opuntia ficus-indica. They ate fruits, as well as young shoots of edible cacti. Nowadays, edible cacti belonging to the species Opuncia or Opuntia have not lost their relevance and are still considered an important ingredient in many national Mexican dishes. In total, the Opuntius species includes about 200 different plant subspecies, but only a few of them belong to edible cacti.

It is worth noting that in Mexico, shoots, as well as cactus fruits, can be found in free sale in any stores, as well as in markets. The stems of Mexican edible cacti or nopales are eaten fresh and marinated, boiled and fried. In addition, some types of edible cacti are used to make national drinks that have no analogues around the world.

It is unique that edible cacti have not only a magnificent and unusual taste, but also differ in their vitamin and mineral composition. Compounds that are rich in the chemical composition of edible cacti work as antioxidants, and also help in the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.