ficudini, or, how to eat a prickly pear

My future Sicilian mother-in-law introduced me to "ficudini" (prickly pears) last summer.  They don't look very appetizing, but if you're a fruit lover like myself, you'll probably find that you like them.  Like black mission figs (another one of my favorites), you get a surprise when you cut through the ugly outer skin.  Here are some quick how-to directions to get your ficudini ready to eat:

1. Cut off both ends of the fruit.  You should see bright fuschia fruit inside, the color of red beets.

2. Cut a slit down the skin length-wise on one side.  Make sure you cut deep enough to go completely through the skin.  

3. With your hands, peel the skin back from where you cut.  The skin should peel off easily.  It may seem like a lot of fruit is sticking to the skin but don't worry about it.  I've tasted that part and it is never good (kind of like how watermelon loses flavor and sweetness the closer it gets to the rind). 

4. You will be left with your fruit.  To eat your ficudini, you can either slice it into pieces or eat it whole.  I prefer to eat it whole.  Its texture is like a ripe pear but its flavor is a little more earthy, like a fig but less sweet.  You'll notice it has seeds inside - little hard round ones.  You should just eat the seeds; do not try to chew them though.  They are mostly harmless.  I say "mostly" because my future mother-in-law did tell me a story about a relative who likes ficudini so much, he once ate a whole case of them and then was constipated for days.  Pretty sure the seeds were responsible for that one.