Editing Nopal (section)

==Culinary use==
''Nopales'' are generally sold fresh in Mexico, cleaned of spines, and sliced to the customer's wishes on the spot. They can also be found [[canning|canned]] or bottled as ''[[Nopalito|nopalitos]]'', and less often [[food drying|dried]], especially for export. Cut into slices or diced into cubes, ''nopales'' have a light, slightly tart flavor, like [[green bean]]s, and a crisp, [[mucilage|mucilaginous]] texture.  In most recipes, the mucilaginous liquid they contain is included in the cooking.  They are at their most tender and juicy in the [[spring (season)|spring]].<ref>Aliza Green, ''Field Guide to Produce'', Quirk Productions, 2004, pp. 214–215, {{ISBN|1-931686-07-6}}</ref>

''Nopales'' are most commonly used in [[Mexican cuisine]] in dishes such as ''huevos con nopales'' "[[egg as food|eggs]] with nopal", ''carne con nopales'' "meat with nopal", ''[[taco]]s de nopales'', in salads with tomato, onion, and ''[[queso panela]]'' (panela cheese), or simply on their own as a side vegetable.  ''Nopales'' have also grown to be an important ingredient in [[New Mexican cuisine]]<ref>{{cite news|last1=Daniel|first1=Frank Jack|title=Thorny Mexican food staple gains fame as folk cure|url=http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyid=2007-04-16T133330Z_01_N13231155_RTRUKOC_0_US-MEXICO-CACTUS.xml&src=rss&rpc=22|work=Reuters|date=April 16, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703032838/http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews|archive-date=July 3, 2007}}</ref> and in [[Tejano]] culture of [[Texas]].

[[File:Nopalsalad.jpg|thumb|A ''nopal'' salad]]