Cholla Bud

Cylindropuntia spp. · Vegetable

40 pairings

Cholla buds are the unopened flower buds of the cholla cactus (Cylindropuntia species), harvested in spring before they bloom, then de-spined and dried into a small, chewy, greenish-brown Southwestern vegetable. A traditional food of the Tohono O'odham and other Sonoran Desert peoples — who call them ciolim — the reconstituted buds have a tangy, artichoke-and-asparagus flavour and are prized as one of the most calcium-rich foods of the desert.

Picking a good onedrag

Hard, khaki, cleanly sweptSoft, dark, musty

A well-kept jarHandled the same way, soaked then simmered to a tender-chewy bite. The tart, faintly slick cooking water is worth keeping back as a light broth.Everyday best

Colour through the packetBrowner and duller, but still even across the whole lot

Areole ringsA stray spine or glochid: lift it off with tweezers, never a bare hand

Tip a few outHard still, though one or two give a little under the thumb

Smell in the packetQuieter, mostly hay, the sweet-tart edge going

What to look for, from hard, khaki, cleanly swept to soft, dark, musty.

Preparing