Tag: nopal

Native Plants, The Kitchen

Cooking Technique : Acitronar (and by default the Biznaga and Acitrón)

acitronar (first-person singular present acitrono, first-person singular preterite acitroné, past participle acitronado) (Mexico, transitive) to fry until translucent, not golden nor crispy This technique is not solely a phenomenon of México. In French cuisine the technique known as “sweating” is very similar in nature to acitronar Sweating is the process of releasing flavours with moisture and low temperatures. It is a technique that uses a … Continue reading Cooking Technique : Acitronar (and by default the Biznaga and Acitrón)

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History, Native Plants

Environmentally Friendly Paint from the Nopal Cactus

The nopal, much like the maguey, plays a pivotal role in the history of Mexico. Not only used as both food (1) and medicine both plants have a space in the creation legends of Mexico and both have multiple cultural usages. for both humans and livestock For many generations prior to the arrival of the Spanish the Mexican people made a durable and environmentally friendly … Continue reading Environmentally Friendly Paint from the Nopal Cactus

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History, The Kitchen

Nocheztli : The Cochineal Beetle

(Cochineal/Cochinilla) From Nahuatl “nochtli” (the opuntia/nopal cactus) and “eztli” (blood) Another product introduced to the world courtesy of the nopal is the bright red colourant known as cochineal. Cochineal is produced from the dried bodies of a female insect of the dactylopius genus which is a parasitic scale insect that lives off the nopal. This insect is farmed and its cultivation potentially dates to around 1000AD … Continue reading Nocheztli : The Cochineal Beetle

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Native Plants

Ecologically friendly alternative to leather from the Nopal cactus

This October two inventors from Guadalajara in Mexico will travel to Milan in Italy to showcase a new product made from the nopal cactus at Lineapelle. Lineapelle is a prestigious international trade exhibition of leather goods which is held twice a year and exhibits “New trends in leather, textiles and synthetics for shoes, handbags, leather goods and leatherwear”. In the upcoming October fair Adrián López … Continue reading Ecologically friendly alternative to leather from the Nopal cactus

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Native Plants, The Kitchen

Frutos de Cactus : Colonche

Updated 08 June 2022 Colonche (1) is another Mesoamerican fermented drink similar in design to tepache and pulque. It is produced from the tuna fruits of several species of the nopal cactus (most notably O.strepthacantha) and is fermented using wild yeasts. Its shelf life, like that of tepache is somewhat longer than that of pulque and it can be expected to last for as long as 14-15 days. It is a … Continue reading Frutos de Cactus : Colonche

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Curanderismo, Native Plants

The Medicinal Qualities of Nopal Cactus

The Opuntia species of cactus (also called Nopal cactus) has been used for food and medicinal purposes in México since before the time of the Aztecs. The fruits (knowns as tunas in México) and the “leaves” (botanically known as cladodes) are eaten on a daily basis. The cladodes in particular are a tasty and nutritious green vegetable (once the spines have been removed).  As a vegetable it … Continue reading The Medicinal Qualities of Nopal Cactus

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Native Plants, The Kitchen

Frutos de Cactus : Tunas. The fruit of the nopal.

The fruits of the cactus are also known as prickly pears (or sometimes Indian figs) and come in a range of colours from green to yellow and the whole spectrum of pinks and reds. They too both have medicinal and culinary uses. Cactus fruit contains substantial amounts of ascorbic acid, vitamin E, carotenoids, fibres, amino acids and antioxidant compounds (phenols, flavonoids, betaxanthin and betacyanin). These phytonutrients … Continue reading Frutos de Cactus : Tunas. The fruit of the nopal.

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History, Native Plants

Huitzilopochtli, Tenochtitlan and the Opuntia Cactus

The Mesoamerican deity Huitzilopochtli  was the patron god of the Mexican people and is the primary God of War (and the Sun) in the Aztec pantheon. The legend goes that after he was betrayed by a nephew he killed him and removed his heart. This heart was left on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco and, like many creation legends involving plants, from the rocks upon … Continue reading Huitzilopochtli, Tenochtitlan and the Opuntia Cactus

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Native Plants, The Kitchen

The Nopal as Food

The Opuntia species of cactus, also commonly called the Prickly Pear, is another seemingly hostile plant (along with the maguey) that despite its thorny exterior is a source of both food and medicine. Both its leaves (botanically known as cladodes) and fruits, called “tunas” are eaten on a daily basis in Mexico. As a cactus it must be treated carefully during preparation. They all carry spines … Continue reading The Nopal as Food

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Native Plants

The future of straws may be a cactus.

The National Autonomous University of Mexico, or UNAM as it is commonly known, is once again at the forefront of innovation into addressing the worldwide problem of pollution caused by single use plastics. Plastic straws (or popotes) are a major source of plastic pollution with 2017 figures estimating that 500 million straws are used in the USA alone on a daily basis (1)(2) and are … Continue reading The future of straws may be a cactus.

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