Let’s get the drama out of the way. Some cacti are toxic—looking at you, peyote and San Pedro. Those are the psychedelic ones, not for snacking. Eat those, and you’ll have a wild trip, not a tasty lunch. Stick to the Opuntia family, aka prickly pear cactus.
Prickly pear is the star of the edible cactus show. You’ve seen it in grocery stores—flat, green pads covered in tiny, invisible spines. Those pads are called nopales. And yes, you have to really remove the spines. Don’t skip that step unless you like a mouthful of regret.
