Nopal

The nopal pads can be eaten raw or cooked, used in marmalades, soups, stews and salads, as well as being used for traditional medicine or as fodder for animals.

Nopales are generally sold fresh in Mexico, cleaned of spines, and sliced to the customer's wishes on the spot.

Cut into slices or diced into cubes, nopales have a light, slightly tart flavor, like green beans, and a crisp, mucilaginous texture.

[citation needed] Nopal is grown in eighteen of the Mexican states with 74% in the Mexico City metropolitan area, with an annual yield of 58,000 tons[which?]

Detection of the cactus-eating moth Cactoblastis cactorum in Mexico in 2006 caused anxiety among the country's phytosanitary authorities, as this insect can be potentially devastating for the cactus industry.