Nopal flavor
Cactus adds southwest zest to salsa, stir fries, jellies, bread and even liquor
By Lynn Brezosky
Associated Press
 |
| Knight Ridder Newspapers |
| Nopales are a favorite addition to almost any dish. Mexicans and Mexican-Americans are accustomed to mixing nopales into all sorts of dishes — the cactuses are stir-fried with eggs and shrimp or maybe beef and peppers, tossed into soups, and made into a salsa for tortillas. |
LAREDO - Nopales. The big cactuses Anglos call prickly pears are everywhere here, growing wild along the highways and on the ranches, friendly looking despite their thorns.
Occasionally you'll see a family stop along the roadway to cut a few, especially if the plants' spiked round fruit, or tuna, is in season. And why not? Both stem pad and fruit make good, healthful eating.
They don't have much taste by themselves, but the stem pads, which are considered vegetables, add texture, zest and color to dishes, as well as vitamins. Some compare them to okra or green peppers.
Root of Mexico
So central were nopales to the indigenous culture of what is now the southwestern United States and Mexico that they are the root of Mexico City's Aztec name, Tenochtitlan, meaning "place of the cactus fruit."
In cases of drought, nopales were the lifeblood of ancient cultures here, food for both people and their livestock. They also were used to soothe wounds, stiffen cloth, strengthen mortar and fence off wild animals. Cattle that grazed on the nopales were said to develop a special flavor in their meat and milk.
 |
| Associated Press |
| Add cactus to your favorite stir-fry recipes. They can be cut according to preference; half-inch strips in a hot wok will provide a nice texture in about 90 seconds. |
Mexicans and Mexican-Americans are accustomed to mixing nopales into all sorts of dishes - the cactuses are stir-fried with eggs and shrimp or maybe beef and peppers, tossed into soups, grilled with olive oil, even pickled or made into a salsa for tortillas. In some cases, the recipes have been handed down for generations, since before Texas was Tejas.
New recipes are always evolving. Care for a prickly pear margarita?
It's only recently that the nutritional benefits have been getting attention. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the sliced pads, or nopalitos, are low in fat but high in water-soluble fiber, pectin and energy-boosting complex carbohydrates, as well as calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron. They weigh in at about 60 calories a cup.
Medical benefits
Molly Thongthiraj, a 25-year employee of the California Cactus Center in Pasadena, Calif., says she has seen more interest than ever in cactuses. Hispanic customers say they use cactus for a variety of ailments, even diabetes, she said. The Mexican Institute of Nutrition in Mexico City is researching health effects of the plant.
Thongthiraj said she's also seen more Asians buying the plants. "I've noticed people are learning about it," she said. "Then they want to grow it."
That's an easy task as long as the ground isn't too moist. Adding sand or Perlite to the soil helps, she said. "You just lay them on the ground," Thongthiraj said of the pads. "They just root."
 |
| Associated Press |
| A cactus juice cocktail is one of the more recent uses of nopales. |
As a boy, Ramirez would go out in the brush and gather the nopales for his parents to cook.
Today, he chases leads, usually word-of-mouth, to elderly people who speak of old plant cures, so he can compile and investigate them. He also wants to recapture the indigenous Mexican diet, the one that predates fat-laden, fast-food tacos. Nopales, he said, are a big part of that diet.
Good eating
He knows of about 150 recipes, including jellies, bread, even a liquor. For a visitor, he prepared them in a stir-fry with tomatoes, onions, garlic, shrimp, olive and sesame oil.
When choosing pads for eating, pick immature ones so they still will be tender. Use tongs so as not to get spines or glochids (tiny, fuzzy spines) in your fingers.
Using a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, remove the areoles (the places where spines develop on the pad). Rinse and then dice, slice or pare as desired.
To avoid contact with the sticky fluid that oozes from the nopales, steam them whole, just long enough for their color to change from bright green to olive drab. Once the color changes, immediately plunge them into a bowl of cool water, then cut on a cutting board. The fluid is meant to be mixed into and enhance dishes.
Add fresh diced or sliced "nopalitos" (as nopales are called when they're cut up into small pieces) to your favorite stir-fry recipes. They can be cut according to preference; half-inch strips in a hot wok will provide a nice texture in about 90 seconds. The thinner they are cut and longer they are cooked, the more soluble fiber they are likely to lose.
Nopal Functional food moving up the food chain
5-Apr-2008 - Gallic supplier, the Iranex Group, has acquired fellow French natural extracts specialist Bio Serae Laboratories as part of a strategic drive into the health and wellness sector.
CNI (the Iranex arm) global sales manager Olivier Houalla said in a November 2007 NutraIngredients.com video interview that "the trend is to the natural product". Its latest move demonstrates how serious it is about moving fully in that direction.
He said purchasing Bio Serae would give CNI extra tools to negotiate the European and international functional foods market.
The undisclosed acquisition means Iranex will have access to Bio Serae's portfolio of branded and unbranded ingredients that include its weight management cactus-derived offerings NeOpuntia and Cacti-Néa, its antioxidant-boosted grape extracts VinOserae and VinOseed and more.
FDA Registration Requirements.
March 13, 2008
Dear Owner or Operator of a Registered Food Facility:
The United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) has received a letter from a foreign embassy seeking clarification on information that had been sent in a letter to a number of food facilities in its country by FDA Registrar Corporation (FDA Registrar Corp). U.S. FDA is aware that private businesses, such as FDA Registrar Corp., are offering their services to food facilities. The purpose of this letter is to clarify that these private businesses are not affiliated with U.S. FDA, nor do they act on U.S. FDA's behalf.
As you know, the U.S. FDA's Registration of Food Facilities Final Rule, 21 CFR §§ 1.225-1.243, requires owners and operators of all domestic and foreign facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food that will be consumed in the United States to register with U.S. FDA. We thank you for registering.. Please note the following regarding the registration of food facilities:
1. Food facilities can register directly with U.S. FDA. There is no fee to register with U.S. FDA.
A food facility may register, update, or cancel its registration itself (or authorize another person to do so on its behalf) using the Internet at http://www.access.fda.gov. Alternatively, a food facility may register, update, or cancel a registration by mail by requesting the appropriate form from U.S. FDA at 1-800-216-7331 (301-575-0156 outside the United States), or by e-mail at FURLS@FDA.GOV.
U.S. Agents may charge a fee for their services, which is solely an issue to be decided between the food facility and the person who agrees to serve as the food facility's U.S. Agent.
2. Contrary to any suggestion by FDA Registrar Corp., food facilities should register only once. The registration does not expire.
If any of the mandatory information in a registration changes (e.g., a food facility changes U.S. Agents or food product categories manufactured at the facility), the registered food facility must update the registration within 60 days of the change. 21 C.F.R. § 1.234. The registered food facility must cancel a registration within 60 calendar days of the reason for cancellation (e.g., facility ceases operations, ceases providing food for consumption in the United States, or the facility is sold to a new owner). 21 C.F.R. § 1.235.
3. Contrary to any suggestion by FDA Registrar Corp., food facilities do not need a certificate of registration. U.S. FDA does not issue a certificate of registration, nor does U.S. FDA recognize a certificate of registration issued by a private business. U.S. FDA issues a registration number to registered facilities. Any registered food facility may obtain its registration number by contacting U.S. FDA.
4. Contrary to any suggestion by FDA Registrar Corp., food facilities that have registered and do not have their FURLS information or PIN should not re-register. Instead, a food facility can contact U.S. FDA for help at 1-800-216-7331 (301-575-0156 outside the United States), or by e-mail at FURLS@FDA.GOV.
A food facility will be asked to provide information on its company’s letterhead signed by the owner, operator, or agent-in-charge of the facility to verify the information. Once U.S. FDA verifies the identity of the food facility, U.S. FDA will provide the facility access to its account. For more information about these requirements, please refer to the Final Rule and to U.S. FDA's website at http://www.fda.gov/oc/bioterrorism/bioact.html for Question and Answer guidance documents, tutorials, and other information. You can also ask U.S. FDA for help at 1-800-216-7331 (301-575-0156 outside the United States), or by e-mail at FURLS@FDA.GOV.
Sincerely,
Stephen F. Sundlof, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Director
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
Secrets to a Toned Tummy
