Although nowadays you can find all sorts of fruit throughout the year, I'd rather eat them when in season. They are much tastier and juicier. Prickly pears - called fragosika in Greece and papoutsosika in Cyprus - are one of Cyprus's most popular summer fruits. Prickly pears can treat diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity. This fruit is low in saturated fat and extremely low in cholesterol. It is also a good source of calcium and potassium as well as a great source of dietary fiber, vitamin C and magnesium. Unpeeled prickly pears will keep for 5-7 days in the refrigerator. Once peeled, they also keep well - 3-4 days.
It might be a bit of a nuisance to peel your first prickly pear but very soon you will see that peeling them is a piece of cake. Here's how to peel and prepare prickly pears.
Cherries and apricots are in season here in Cyprus from early June to end of July or early August. "Life is a bowl of cherries", the saying goes and, indeed, they are one of the miracles of early summer: sweet and delectable. Together with apricots, they grow high in the mountains of Troodos and they are packed with vitamins and health benefits.
Apricots help to reduce weight as they are very low in calories - only 50 calories for 3 apricots. This golden-orange fruit is an excellent source of Vitamins A, C, E, potassium, iron and beta carotene. They also help to promote a great summer tan! Rich in powerful antioxidants, apricots are very beneficial for good eyesight and also help to prevent heart disease.
Cherries are free of cholesterol and sodium and rich in dietary fiber and vitamin C. They rank among the top 20 superfoods with the highest concentration of antioxidants. These antioxidants are called anthocyanins and they greatly help to reduce cardiovascular disease. Cherries are one of the few fruits that contain melatonin. This is a powerful antioxidant which helps improve sleep quality and enhance brain performance. Scientists believe that the melatonin in cherries can help deter age-relating diseases such as Alzheimer's .
Nutrinion Facts Collected from:
The prickly pears in your plate look so inviting! I wish I could grab them all!!! :-) I first tasted them in Cyprus a few years ago, when one of my co-workers in Limassol had brought some at the office. I loved them so much but I didn't dare to peel and clean them! Then my great neighbor, Androulla, would often offer me quite a few nicely peeled and I'd devour them! You know, Anastasia, in Amsterdam no one would ever take the trouble to clean and peel any fruit for the foreign neighbor. It's not a matter of raciism, it's a matter of culture, I guess. Throughout the summer, Androulla would bring to my door freshly peeled prickly pears at least once a week. One day, I insisted on paying for them but she felt so embarrassed that I never dared to ask again. You can find prickly pears in the Netherlands, but they are definitely not as tasty as the ones in Cyprus. Not long ago, there was afruit stand near my home where I could find prickly pears imported from Cyprus! I was so excited that I got a dozen and kindly asked the shop keeper to peel them and clean them for me. Ironically, I had to pay not only for the fruit but also for the peeling and cleaning.
Posted by: Alexia M | August 05, 2013 at 08:36 PM
I love all summer fruit but the fruit king of our summer is by far the watermelon - not only because we produce some of the best watermelons in the world (no exaggeration) but also because the watermelon is filling and refreshing especially if you eat it in the garden - like me right now - with some halloumi cheese. I don't like papoutsosika but I'll never say no to a bowl of cherries and a bowl of ripe apricots.
Posted by: Lakis Ioannou | August 05, 2013 at 09:03 PM