Tender pads of beles are commonly consumed in Mexico as vegetable. Their nutritional value can be compared to any other leafy vegetable available at the Eritrean markets, such as; Swiss chards or lettuce. They can be collected from wild plants as well as from family orchards. Tender pads can be consumed during the early stages of growth, when they reach 10 to 25 cm long (Plate 17). As the cladode ages the fibre content increases and become more difficult to process.
