What taste profile in a wild Opuntia fruit suggests it should be immediately discarded after cleaning?
Answer
A clear, bitter, or soapy taste
When consuming an unknown wild variety of Opuntia fruit, palatability serves as a crucial, rapid indicator of suitability, especially since wild types have not been selected over generations for sweetness like cultivated varieties have. If, after thorough cleaning, an initial, tiny tasting reveals a clear, bitter, or soapy flavor, the fruit must be discarded immediately. This undesirable taste profile suggests that the plant's chemical composition may heavily favor defense compounds over flavor, indicating it is likely unsuitable or potentially harmful for human consumption, even if the plant is not strictly classified as poisonous.
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