节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-07-14
难易度:High
关键字:pricky, avocado, texture, marmalade, farmer's market, beta carotene
OK. I hope you had a great break.
Welcome back.
In Mexico alone, there are about one... no, 10,000 farmers that cultivate edible
cactuses.
Together, the industry brings in about $150 million every year.
OK. So they're popular, but what about the flavor and texture of a cactus?
What's it like to eat a cactus?
Let's find out in this last portion of the reading, which starts on line 14.
The Benefits of Cactus.
Edible cacti are recognized by their thick, oval-shaped leaves, which are called
"pads" or "paddles." When cooked,
the leaves have a soft but crunchy texture with a flavor similar to green beans
or green peppers.
These pads, called nopales, contain important nutrients including beta carotene,
iron, B vitamins and vitamin C.
Many other uses.
Along with their health benefits, edible cacti can be used to make candy,
perfume, food coloring, marmalade, wine and more.
That's a long list of achievements for these strange-looking desert plants.
Nopal cacti can be very good for you.
We've learned that their fruit, the prickly pear, can have many health benefits
and are found in markets... grocery stores as well as farmer's markets.
Now it's important to know that even though cacti can be very good for your
health, you have to make sure you're eating the edible cacti.
"Edible" means it is OK to be eaten.
Not all cacti are edible.
OK. So how do you recognize which cacti are edible and which ones are not?
Well, if they are edible, then they have thick oval-shaped leaves which are
called pads or paddles.
That's right.
We know paddles - that gives you the idea of what the shape would look like
because we use a paddle on a boat.
If you're in a boat and you are trying to move forward with your hands instead
of with a motor, you have a paddle.
So that flat, wide shape would be the paddle shape of these... of the plant
itself.
That's right.
Take a look at page 31 and you can see a picture of what these pads might look
like.
That's right.
Well, how do we eat them, Ryan?
Well, when you cook these paddles, or these leaves, then they have a very soft
but still crunchy texture.
Oh. So the texture is what we're talking about.
We use "soft and crunchy" to describe it.
Texture is what?
Well, the "texture" is the way something feels.
Usually we're talking about the way it feels with your fingers.
But in this case, it's also the way it feels in your mouth.
A little bit "crunchy." What is that?
Crunchy, maybe if you bite into a potato chip, that would be crunchy.
It makes that crunching sound (Background Noise) inside your head when you're
chewing.
It makes a noise.
It's crispy.
It would break if you used it in your hands.
OK, yeah. It's very... a little bit more difficult to break.
But it's not... it doesn't bend very easily.
So these paddles they're a little crunchy.
And they have a flavor that is similar to green beans or green peppers.
Now I'm a little confused because I think green beans and green peppers have
very different tastes.
Yeah, I guess it's somewhere between the middle.
OK. So even though they taste different, we do know that, well, it tastes
green...
which means it probably has some sort of healthy, we know it's good for us kind
of taste.
OK. OK. I've never tasted green before, but OK.
These pads, they're called nopales.
And they contain important nutrients including beta carotene, iron, B vitamins
and vitamin C.
Now we see they have all these different nutrients inside there.
We do need iron.
We get iron from meat or from beans.
But we also get it from very green vegetables like spinach.
Well, we see we can also get it from here in cactus.
And we see there's one here that we don't often think about when we're talking
about nutrients.
Now that's beta carotene.
That's right.
"Beta carotene" is also a substance that is very good for your body.
And it's usually found in fruits... usually vegetables, actually, that are
orange, red, or sometimes green in color.
Kaylah, what's the most common vegetable that we think of that has beta
carotene?
The most common we think of would be a carrot because it's very, very orange.
Now it's very important to get beta carotene because it turns into vitamin A in
your body and helps make you stronger.
Now we have some more information on that.
So let's jump on over and visit the Information Station.
In today's article, we learned a lot about the prickly pear cactus, also known
as nopal cactus.
That's right, Bill.
And it turns out that the pads of the nopal cactus are especially delicious when
grilled.
Hmm... So to learn how to grill them, we need to go to...
Information Station.
Say, Bill, what's the first thing we need to remind our viewers about before
they reach for their nopal cactus?
Well, obviously, the first thing to remember is that prickly pear cactus is...
prickly!
Yes. This cactus has a lot of sharp spines.
So always wear gloves before you handle it.
Otherwise, you may get spines stuck in your hands.
Ouch! I don't even want to think about that.
Well, moving on, we prepare this cactus by... for grilling by removing the
spines with - a spine removing tool.
A spine removing tool?
Bill, where can our viewers get one of those?
Good point, Bryan.
If you don't have a Mexican food store in your area, well, you probably can't
find one of these.
In that case, simply soak the cactus in water and remove the spines by hand.
With gloves on, of course.
Next, brush some olive oil on both sides of the cactus pad.
This will make it taste delicious.
And then get your grill started.
Take the cactus pads and set them on your grill.
Grill the cactus for about ten minutes on each side.
But be careful, friends, over cooking cactus can turn it into a slimy green
mess.
And that would be a shame especially after you've spent all that time removing
these spines.
So remember, the best way to make sure you still get to grill some delicious
food is to keep a cooler full of hamburgers and hot dogs nearby.
That way, if your cactus doesn't turn out well, you can still enjoy a tasty
barbecue treat.
Speaking of treats, it's time for Bill and I to enjoy our cactus.
So we'll see you all next time here at...
Information Station.
Well, friends, cacti also have many other uses.
All right.
Along with their health benefits, edible cacti can be made into candy or
perfume, food... coloring, marmalade, wine and so much more.
Wow, OK!
There's many, many more uses for cacti.
Including one of those is "marmalade." And that is a substance that's similar to
jelly, very thick, kind of sticky, and it's usually made from oranges.
That's right.
Marmalade is a sweet flavor, but it has a little bit of a bitter aftertaste.
It's a little bit bitter, even it's sugary.
And it's usually eaten on toaster bread or something.
Yeah. Now I think it's interesting you can make cactus wine too.
That doesn't sound very delicious to me but, interesting.
I think it sounds interesting; worth a try for sure.
Well, this is a long list of achievements for these very strange-looking desert
plants.
And I think it is a long list.
It's very interesting.
And achievement is something that you have gotten because you did very good
work.
That's right.
So congratulations to the cactus for being a very useful plant.
I hope you've learned a lot about cacti and now can appreciate the strange
desert plant even more.
Now let's watch today's skit.
Ladies and gentlemen, come and try some prickly pear cactus.
Well, look at them sharp spines.
Where did you find that?
These are from Mexico and America's southwest desert region.
I have to find one of these in the desert?
No. You can get one in a Mexican grocery store or farmer's market.
Or even better, buy one from me.
What do you do with it?
Well, prickly pear products have become favorite health food items.
Is that so?
Yes, it is so.
Take a look.
The fruit is avocado-shaped.
It ranges in color from yellow to red.
Well, how can I recognize edible cacti?
Well, they have thick oval-shaped leaves called pads or paddles.
Paddles?
Yes, that's right.
When you cook them and the leaves have a... they turn into a soft, crunchy
texture.
Is it tasty then?
It's similar to green beans or green peppers.
Sounds mighty good.
And they contain important nutrients including beta carotene, iron, B vitamins
and vitamin C.
Whoa! They have some fine health benefits.
Yes siree.
And you can use them to make candy, perfume, food coloring and all sorts of
other stuff.
That's a long list of achievements for such a strange-looking plant.
It makes me want to give it a... a big hug.
Oh, careful! I wouldn't do that.
That was fine...
Ouch!
Kind of prickly, aren't they?
Yeah.
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And that's all for today's Language Tips.
Good luck and bye-bye.
Going back through the lesson, I counted five different things that cactuses are
used for.
They're used as a strange yet very attractive decoration.
With all of their nutrients and antioxidants, cacti are used as medicine.
Cactuses are also used for making perfume, food coloring and the range of edible
products such as candy and jelly.
Friends, enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Try some cactus if you can.
And then join us Monday for an exclusive interview with a friend from Taiwan
Sunshine.
Until then, take care.