Prickly pear plants

Every village in Kythera has at least a few prickly pears in a garden or elsewhere. Its cultivation is very widespread, but not systematic, until now. Usually, they are planted on the edges of flower beds, kitchen gardens, and fields, sometimes to mark the property borders, by leaning the prickly pears on the dry stone walls.

The plant may originate from central Mexico, but it has fully adapted to the conditions of the Mediterranean basin. Because it grows well in poor and dry soils, locals use it mainly for the delicious fruit but also to make homemade jam. Prickly pears, while they are low in calories, are of high nutritional value due to vitamin C, antioxidants and trace elements.