Word of the Day 8|02|18 : NOPALES

nopales / no-PAHL-es

A traditional taco filling, nopales are prickly pear cactus paddles. They have the thorns cut off of them — often you’ll see market stall owners sitting with huge piles of them, trimming off the thorns with a curved knife — and usually come either braised or pickled. Flavorwise, think green bean or asparagus if it had the mouthfeel of okra. It’s an interesting alternative to try!

Cerveceria Colorado had a nopales wheat beer called Nopalito. One of my personal favorites there! I don’t know that you got much of the flavor, though.