Prickly pear/Indian fig?

[Isabelle]

My sister just purchased a small box of this fruit called a prickly pear/indian fig... I'm hesitating to try and taste it after finding out (in the least pleasant way :eek: ) it's got lots of these tiny little thorns all over it! And I've also been told not to touch or bite into its peel as it causes burns and wounds... Anyway, I was wondering if there are any special ways of eating it? Here is what it looks like.
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/1829/indianfig5hu.jpg

[Spectatrix]

Of course it has thorns... that's the fruit of prickly pear CACTUS... lol. :D That stuff grows wild all over the southwest.

Typically the thorns are burned off, but you can also peel the fruit. I'd recommend holding onto the fruit while wearing a heavy glove (think gardening glove) or tongs and peel the fruit with your other hand... a knife would probably work best, though I imagine that a vegetable peeler would work too.

[Spectatrix]

I found this link with instructions on how to peel a prickly pear: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/nopalitos.htm#Peeling%20a%20Prickly%20Pear%20Fruit

And as a warning, the one you took a picture of looks like its underripe. Ripe prickly pears should be a fairly uniform purplish-red.

[Isabelle]

Ahhh... Thanks so much for the tips! You see, I had no idea it came from a cactus until I saw the box on the counter, grabbed one with my bare hand and asked my sister "what is this?" (ouch! :p ).