Monday, February 27, 2012

Eating Cactus Fruit Streetside...


The fruit of the Prickly Pear cactus is known as Tuna in Spanish.  They range in colour from green to red and are about the size of a medium potato and are sold from wheelbarrows on footpaths all over Cusco.


You get about 3 or 4 tuna for 1 sole (that's about 35 cents) and they peel them for you directly into a plastic bag.  Just watching them peeling the tuna is fun... The cut across the top and bottom, leaving just a little bit in tact, and the put a slice lengthways between the two cuts, and then fold the skin back in one movement - you then put your plastic bag up to grab the fruit.

Mum buying tuna for me to try

Here's a video of how it's done...  


I also love how the lady just opens her apron pocket for the money to be dropped in.  


I don't know how to describe the taste... It's sort of crunchy but soft (a bit like the way watermelon has a bit of crunch but more-so) and has lots of seeds through it and it's quite juicy too.

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