The Origins

The prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) is a plant that derives from the Cactaceae family. Its origins are Mexican and it is now established in the Mediterranean Basin, and in the hot areas of America, Asia and Oceania.
It was born in Mexico dating back to the time of Aztec and was cultivated because it was deemed to be a rare plant with a strong symbolic value. The plant was introduced in the old world around 1493 when Christopher Columbus returned to Lisbon. The first description dates back to 1535 as an opera by Spanish Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valès in the Historia General y natural de las Indias. Successively, it defined in the actual name given by Millar in 1768.