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Are the fruit of the Opuntia cactus also called nopal?

3 years agoUpdated

The red fruits of the Opuntia cacti are variously called prickly pear, tuna, sabra, and more. They are also sometimes called nopal or nopales, but this term is most commonly applied to the pads, paddles or stems of the cacti. Young pads are nopalitos. These are where the vegetable comes from, because the older the pads get, the stringier and tougher their flesh becomes.