Jícama and nopal.
Hello,
I was wondering how do you know these two words in English? I noticed that the translator on the site still uses the accent on the "i" when defining the fruit in English, so I am not sure if "jícama" has a different name in English. I also have this question about "nopal".
Are these two well known in USA? Would I have problems making someone understand what fruit and vegetable I'm talking about?
11 Answers
It is, the same kind.
Some people dislike nopales because they're slimy... but I love them, with some grated cheese on it. Delicious.
The first one, jicama, I know of and have and I think is delicious. It can be bought here in America at higher end stores. I had to look up "nopal", never heard of it. I have seen it at some stores here, but never by that name. Here they would be called cactus leaves.
Nopal refers to prickly pear cactus and you might be better off using that than nopal because Spanish name may not be as well known. Prickly pear catcus are more for landscape rather than food in the U.S though I did manage to find Prickly pear jelly. I have never heard of Jicama and I doubt you'd be able to find it outside of ethic markets and gourmet stores. in the U.S.
oh gosh, I was going to go buy til you said that Madder, is it like okra? I haaaate okra!
Both Jicama and Nopalitos are easy to find in the Chicago area because we have a lot of Mexicans that live there. (Or are they Americans of Mexican descent?). Either way, you can find them at any Mexican grocery store or even at the "regular" grocery store in the Mexican food section.
If I were speaking to somebody who had no idea, I would call Jicama by its name (because I don't believe there is another name) and I would call nopalitos "cactus".
But really, anybody who knows anything about Mexican food knows Jicama and Nopalitos.
Now, on to the mole and the tacos al pastor!!
I haven't seen jicama before, but my Mexican friends at work have brought in some nopales. When cooked they seem a little like green beans. I believe they are from the same type of cactus pictured on the Mexican flag.
I get my jicama at Walmart here in New Mexico and saw it in Kentucky too. Nopal is for sale at walmart here also. I know I can eat it but have no idea how to prepare it.I beleive I saw Nopal in Arizona
Wasn't familiar with Nopal but Prickly Pear is available in the US Southwest routinely.
But Jicama is everywhere. It is abundant on salad bars, places like Sizzlers, Soup Plantations, at Brunches on Sunday...
But oops, I had it in my mind that it was from Hawaii 
maybe because it sounds like the big Air Force Base called Hickam - I don't know. But what a shocker to look at Eddy's two links! Oh, well.
We can find jicama in a lot of supermarkets in Massachusetts, but the prickly pear...probably not too common.
Oh, thank you.
