Mezcal Cactus para comer? Help, please.

Question

Hola,

I just visited my local Mexican grocery store for the first time. I was amazed ... it was unbelievable. 7 kinds of bananas. Guava. Banana leaves ... what are they for? And I was able to practice speaking Spanish.

I also bought a small wrapped brown piece of cactus that was labeled Mezcal or Mescla or something like that, but it did have a picture of a blue cactus, like agave. I asked (in Spanish if it was for eating, how to prepare, and was told that it could be eaten raw or cooked.

Does anyone know what this is and how to eat it? I have heard of Mezcal tequila, but I doubt this is the same thing ... and hopefully no hallucinogenic effect.

Gracias! Roberto

I just tasted it. It is ridiculously sweet. Sweeter than candy. It is also tough and stringy. It tastes like the cactus was dipped in brown sugar water and then smoked over a fire. I really like it ... must ... keep eating! No hallucinations yet. - CubanDreams, Apr 26, 2012

Did you grill it, boiled it, or fried it? :) - katzens, Apr 27, 2012

I just took a bite out of it. :-) - CubanDreams, Apr 27, 2012

Answer 1

  Hi.   I can tell you that  it  probably was Mezcal, and if it was hallucinogenic,  it wouldn't be on the shelf!   Jejejejeje  I never had an appetite for cactuses, and never ate nor cooked it.  (Not much help, huh?)    But the internet  has a bounty of recipes and authentic cooking.    

Answer 2

I have never heard of anything for eating that comes from the maguey cactus, which is where both mezcal and pulque come from. Rope is also made from this plant.

Tequila comes from its own plant, which is much smaller than the maguey.

Nopal is a very common cactus for eating in Mexico, but I don´t know if there are other species or not.

I have tried Nopales before... I heard they are very healthy for you, but I don't care much for the taste... =) - NikkiLR, Apr 26, 2012