How to pick, peel, and enjoy prickly pears. Learn all about the most traditional Sicilian fruit!
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- #sicilianfood #whattodoinsicily #healthyfood
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Opuntia / Prickly pear cacti is a new world species thus it only made its way to Europe after 1492 (when Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas). While cacti have become an invasive species in Australia & South Africa, its good to see that some countries have embraced it. Also, I live in Colorado and prickly pear cacti can grow at over 2000 m elevation in the rocky mountains!
Discovered? My people were here before the invasion.
@@ebecky4275 Hello. Pardon me who’s your people? Name please? Thank yous.
@CO84trucker I am your neighbor in Wyoming, I see them everywhere here but have you seen the fruit get as big as they are in this video where you are? I am wondering because I would try to eat them if I could find them 😄
I really want to grow a prickly pear cactus, I live in the UK and eventually will be moving to the country side. The only way I can think of being able to do it is to have a greenhouse of sorts. Our winters can get too cold, I just love prickly pears!
@@katj3443look into opuntia humifusa, they can handle more humidity and a lot more cold than most. Hardy to zone 4
Texas is full of them.. ate some tunas years ago they were amazing ❤
Nice to see you can grow this fruit native to North America in Sicily!
Wow! A traditional fruit from Sicily? Awesome! Greetings from Mexico!!
Es tradicional después que lo espanoles se fueran aqui y llegandoselo desde Mexico LOL! Un saludo desde Sicilia!!!
@@best-things-to-do-in-sicily where in Sicily is this? The whole island is beautiful
@@filologo1 everywhere
but if you mean the location of the video, it is close to Palermo
@@best-things-to-do-in-sicily 😂😂😂👏👏
Oh, my gosh!!! I adore this video! You are so fun and friendly! I feel like I just took a quick trip to Sicily!
Dear Angela, thanks a lot for your beautiful comment! Once you will be here in Sicily in person it will be amazing! We are at your disposal to plan your trip! You never know!
Grazie mille for teaching me how to pick my prickly pears in my Arizona garden!
Dear Anita, thank you for watching and supporting us with your love! We are very glad that we can share the prickly pears and love for our common heritage!
:/ you could have asked an indigenous person or a Mexican to teach you. It's easy, I was picking and peeling it since I was a little girl. Also el nopal or as the Nahua people call it nohpalli is high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
We love this in Mexico too!
Thanks
Thank you so much for sharing this video. I was able to make a tool using a long pole, two screws and a metal cup that worked like yours. My mother was so impressed. Thanks once again for such a generous video.
you're great! I'm so proud of you! Please send a picture at info@bestthingstodoinsicily.com
we want to see your masterpiece!
Hi Tlou, just saw your amazing tool and pubblished your photos on our Facebook page: facebook.com/BestThingsToDoInSicily/
You and your tool deserve to be popular in our community of Sicily Lovers!
Hugs from Sicily!
I think I might make one I don't have a plant but planting one soon from cutting there a tall one with lots of unripe fruit in a alley this is alot or help it's pretty tall and last time I tried I broke the only ripped one
You removed the entire peel of the prickly pair not just zest. You can save the peel and sun dry it. Eat it for later. Your method of thorn removal is water wasteful. Yet Scilily cries for lack of water. A dampened, soft-bristled brush would served the purpose. It is obvious by the improper pruning, that you fear your plants, and treat them like step-children. Also, you should keep bees.
Thank you for this informative video! I have a couple cactus plants filled with so many fruits and did not know how to harvest the fruits and best way to get rid of the thorns. I will be trying this today.
Wow, this is great. We are so happy to help you enjoy prickly pears! We really hope you like your fruits!
What a great treat it was when Nano peeled them for us to eat…. SO DELICIOUS! 🥰
I hope yopu may enjoy these amazing fruits here in Sicily one day. We would be glad to put together your trip back to the homeland of your Nanno
Nice, the song too.
I fichidindia e Rosa Balistreri: un meraviglioso abbinamento!
I love prickly pear! All variations are so wonderul!
well said Pablo!
Very nice, informative video. And i love the traditional background music
Thank you so much for watching, we are really glad that you appreciated this video! Greetings from Sicily
Wow never knew so many people around the world liked cactus fruit.
Thanks for you comment Lupe! Yep prickly pears are delicious
When I was in Palermo back in November I remember seeing many prickly pear catcuses, although most didn’t have the fruits. Theh must’ve been picked quite well.
we pick them in August. Second harvest in late September/October
IN MÉXICO WE HAVE A LOT NOPALES AND TUNASWE COLL THE CACTUS PEARC, TUNA,ANDE CACTUS NOPAL
Documentario istruttivo, meraviglioso. Da salentina verace quale sono, mi evoca l'esperienza magica della raccolta delle "ficalindie" per poi sbucciarle nello stesso modo che mostra il giovane. Grazie infinite!
Grazie mille Giuseppa. Un abbraccio dalla Sicilia al meraviglioso Salento!
It's amazing. I did not know you can eat them. I chopped a whole tree down cos it's so thorny. Next time I am going to try the fruit. Thank you for sharing
Sorry to hear this...You have to wait at least 5 years before the tree will produce new fruits
Grazie per aver condiviso questo fico d'india più delizioso. è davvero un frutto del tesoro per una buona salute ed è meraviglioso sapere che si trova dall'altra parte del mondo. Saluti dal sud della California e buona giornata.
thanks for watching! We are glad you are enjoying prickly pears too!!!
Very nice lesson - thank you!
Thank you for watching, Pete!
Prickly Pears grow wild in a wooded area up the road near my home in Melbourne Beach, FL. I have been enjoying the red fruit. I have 20 small plants in pots that I have been growing from the seeds of one fruit! I like the song you played with this video. Who is the artist and what is the name of the song?
Hi, thanks for your kind words! The singer is Rosa Balistreri. The song is named "Cu ti lu dissi"
It works! Thank you so much for this video
thank you for waching and supporting us!
I love that tool I want to get one.
we will sell it soon on our online store
Red is my favourite!
Look so yummy and rich of vitamin C
that's it Nelma! Thanks for watching
I am so glad you are enjoying the fruit that my ancestors relied on, it's one of my favorite fruit along with la pitaya. Blessing from an Indigenous woman.
Thanks a lot for your beautiful comment! It would be nice if you come to Sicily to enjoy the fruit of your ancestors some thousand miles away from the place where you live! We are at your disposal to plan your trip to Sicily! Please visit bestthingstodoinsicily.com/ Anyway we are super happy to have such a great connection with a wonderful people like the Native Americans! We love your culture!
Super
Thanks a lot!!!
Very interesting to see Italians eating this but this fruit is not sicilian it's from the America's around Mexico, guatemala etc.... You should look up some recipes for the cactus leaves as well they are edible and very good for you
Hi Charley, you're right!
Actually in Sicily we only eat the fruits. But someone use to cook the leaves... In my life I have seen only 2 cases: in Mexico and in San Mauro Castelverde, a small Sicilian village in the Madonie area (province of Palermo near Cefalù) where people use to cook the leaves like cutlets. They make a sort of bitter and sour sauce. It's so funny!
@@best-things-to-do-in-sicily We eat nopales and it's high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. We grilled them, make salads, make quesadillas, and many more things with nopales. I am so glad you are enjoying Native American food. Blessings.
@@ebecky4275 Everything you wrote is so true! This amazing fruit should be more popular in the world!
❤
Nice. I have never seen or had an orange prickly pear .maybe one day
maybe in Sicily... you never know!
Bellissimo video !!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Grazie!!!
Thank you.
Bellissimo video!
Grazie!!!
Also the Peruvian Apple Cactus if you have...... the spineless specie
Fruits of them ... we also like to feature them in your next videos. Have a wonderful day my friend. More cactus fruits👍
Oh yeah! I have this plant too. But I didn't know it is edible. I will try! Thanks for suggesting!
A lovely video. My Sicilian Nonna used to have these in her garden. She called them 'figu r'innia' ; does that sound right?
yes pretty correct. the correct pronunciation is ficurinnia with "C"
thanks a lot for your nice words and your lovely memory
@@best-things-to-do-in-sicily Grazie assai a Voiautri.
By the way my friend.......what fertilizer do you use?
How do you water them?
No fertilizer. No water. This is the only plant of my garden that I don't water. It is a very "independent plant"... Rainwater is enough.
I love it i think this is the greatest job in the world 😍😍😍 i wanna work there💓
you would be welcomed!
@@best-things-to-do-in-sicily awww thank you🙂🙂🙂💓
You should come to Mexico and learn about our amazing tradicional pizza…😁😂😂😂
Mezcal is more interesting than pizza
How do I know what variety I have growing in my backyard? I tried one pulling it off the cactus plant with tongs. Then I followed your instructions as best I could. The meat was soft and mushy and orange in color and full of seeds. Also it was not very sweet! These turn dark red if left on the plant. Could it be that I picked them too soon?
no, it's only the less sweet variaty. Try to grow the purple ones
Love it
Thank you! Hugs from Sicily!
How old are they?
The Yellow ones taste like a ripe Papaya
The Red ones taste like a little bit of Watermelon
What I never tasted are the Green ones with white flesh
The downside of them are that they are seedy 💁
Hi Red! These plants are about 35/38 years old.
Actually the red/purple/violet prickly pears in Sicily are the sweetest ones. The Green ones have a middle taste, something like between the two latter. They are sweeter than the yellow/orange ones but not as sweet as the red/purple/violet ones. We had a very dry summertime and so the most of them are actually seedy.
The seeds are good for digestion
So amazing? Can u send me some of the cuttings here in Uganda africa and I will try to plant it here. Please
unfortunately it is not possible. Food and plant shippment is very difficult... sometimes forbidden
Oh thank u for replying. Ur so kind thank u
@@ilocanainuganda6162 you're welcome!
In Kenya theyre the invasive plant and the government thinking the way to clear them. U can search it on ytb or google. But i think the spineless type like this gonna get a different react
there a lot them in tanzania. soon I'm going to plant!
What is the title of the background music?
"Cu ti lu dissi" by Rosa Balistreri
T shirt is perfect stand for mic 🎤
Best time to pick prickly pears is in the early morning before the sun rise, that s the best time. thorns won t fly the fruit is still cold you can start your day eating it. This is our moroccan way ;)
We agree! Well said!!!
@@best-things-to-do-in-sicily old ladies they pick them with their soft bare hands imagine.
Amazing. At first I wasn't sold. But using the fig leaves to remove the prickly pear spikes is inspired.
When do you prune the plants? Do fruits grow on newest or older pads? Thanks 🙏🏼
I never prune it. Only when the plant becomes too big and push the fence I reduce it. But everytime of the year is good. This plant is really resistant. Fruits grow in a 5-6 old plant
@@best-things-to-do-in-sicily thank you 🙏🏼
Sir we want to bring and grow this cactus in india so how can you help us
Its pretty wild how a plant that isnt even native can get naturalized and integrated so much into the local culture. I live where a lot of opuntia species grow naturally and hardly anyone that isnt hispanic will eat them. Im growing a whole field of them to try and test out how they taste. If i dont like them im just gonna make them into prickly pear cannabis candies, all weed candy tastes good.
you're absolutely right. It is not native but it belongs to our culture. Perhaps because we had several centuries of Spanish domination and they transfered to us their experience during the time of South-American colonies. However we are pretty sure your candies are amazing! Thanks for your nice comment!
@@best-things-to-do-in-sicily Is it mostly a Sicilian thing or are they common across all of Italy?
@@iraniansuperhacker4382 Mostly Sicilian and perhaps also Calabrese. The rest of Italians ignore them!
@@best-things-to-do-in-sicily that is funny because half of my family can be traced back to Sicily and I had a natural gravitation towards picky pears.
@@iraniansuperhacker4382 this is amazing! We hope you can visit your ancestral island one day!
🥇🥇👍👍
❤️
😍😍
Enjoy, amigo italiano!
muchas gracias Carlito!
Sicilia is one of my next stops in the future
@@filologo1 te esperamos... we look forward to meeting you
Nopales son Mexicanos
Ciao amigo... Que viva el Mexico y los Nopales Mexicanos!
@@best-things-to-do-in-sicily By the way, you can eat the leaf of the cactus, is delicious with scrambled eggs.
I´m from Mexico and The Nopal is very important in the Mexican cousine... exist a ton of dishes made with nopal.
@@3dviz332 Hi, actually also in Sicily some people use to cook the leaves... Ironically I discovered it after visiting Mexico. It is San Mauro Castelverde, a small Sicilian village in the Madonie area (province of Palermo near Cefalù) where people use to cook the leaves like cutlets. They make a sort of bitter and sour sauce. Delicious!
it is also native to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, California, and Utah but then again those states were part of Mexico, so you are not wrong. it's an indigenous food. Darn it now I want agua fresca.
If prickly pears are traditional Italian, then pizza is definitely traditional American..
You misunderstood. We talk about food style. In Sicily ww have prickly pears daily. Some Americans don't even know what the are.
Pp
Those don’t look ripe
they are
Can you send me a one pad in Georgia? 😅❤️🙏🏻
I absolutely love your videos. Makes my day.
Hi Elissa! You're always so kind!!!
I was shocked to find it grows over there since I always thought it was a cactus only in the Americas. In my opinion purple is the best of the tunas though.
We agree... also in Sicily, the purple variety is the best!
Our request 💁
Can you make videos of the Red and Purple and the Pads how to prepare before eating and cooking? We are waiting for those to be featured. Try also the so-called Cochen Fruits belonging to Opuntia cochenillifera. We love your videos. More prickly pears please ... thanks 👍
Same as Peruvian Apple Cactus! I got them but I didn't know that they are edible. You are giving me such a useful suggestion! I will try and show you the result.
Regarding the Opuntia Ficus Indica (traditional prickly pears in Sicily) we use to eat the fruits fresh. Nobody cooks the fruits. But someone use to cook the leaves... In my life I have seen only 2 cases: in Mexico and in San Mauro Castelverde, a small village in the Madonie area (province of Palermo near Cefalù) where people use to cook the leaves like cutlets. They make a sort of bitter and sour sauce. It's so funny!
What a great informative video. Who better to teach us about how to pick and peel prickly pears than an authentic Sicilian! Thank you for sharing this with us!
Frank, you are too kind with us! I am going to save some prickly pears for you for your next arrival to Sicily!
Hey your near san vito lo capo lol!
Grazie from California where we have purple prickly pear fruits in our yard. We also have a fig tree, but never knew to use the leaves to remove the thorns. We either peel them, or use a flame to burn them off. I’m going to try your fig leaf method next summer.
We like to eat them like you do, and sometimes we remove the seeds and put them in a blender for a fruit smoothie in the summer. Delicious!
Again, mille grazi, amico.
thank you my friend, and if you wish to visit Sicily with us we would be very glad to invite you to enjoy prickly pears with us!!!
Look very good.
Yep, they are delicious
The Number One!!
Number two... a guy from Sciacca named Pino Tornetta is the true number one. He's the master!
@@best-things-to-do-in-sicily too good. 😊
Boy I would love to eat them tòo ,use tool he made
Your view is amazing! I love prickly pear too. 😁
ΦΑΝΤΑΣΤΙΚΟ
ahahah ευχαριστώ!!!
How many weeks untill the fruit is ready ?
4 months
I am from Eritrea 🇪🇷 and we have allot of this frukt and we have different types and it's nice but originally cams from Italy 🇮🇹 coz Italy was collation Eritrea many years .
thanks Filmon! Welcome to our channel!
Thank you for sharing wonderful video👌👌❤️
Thank you Tania! Love from Sicily!!!
This was a Joy to watch!
thanks a lot for your beautiful comment!
Please give me that plant
send me a courier and take your own responsability to import in your country something that it is considered illegal. Australian laws are not a joke
I will have to use some heavy leather like the leaves you used. I love the red prickly pear.
Good to know about this fruit
This's not a hard job.
who said that?
Great video thank you!
Thanks for watching!!!
Wow yummy
Just picked some red-yellow prickly pears today and was unsure of the ripeness. Your video cleared that right up for me. Thanks so much 🤗🌵
Thanks, Aly. Greetings from Sicily
Thank you for sharing your experience
Thank you for watching and supporting us!
We're able to see your personal prickly pear too!! Haha good video though....
Hahaha...You're a good watcher!!!
Cool! I learned a lot.
thanks, Michael
Heh, what did you say? I’m sorry, what? I can’t hear what you said, someone is playing their music really LOUD! WHAT? I’m sorry, don’t know what you said….
you should have some issues in your pc
Dude, that Portuguee singing in the background was annoying.
Baloo the bear told me all about it year's ago. I use a propane torch to burn them then pick. I only have purple pears here in America, they taste like blue berrys. Thanks for the video.
Hi Paul, this is unconventional but amazing! Thanks for following us!
Blue berries?