For those who don't yet know, a peeled, chilled prickly pear is a perfect and luscious fruit. On the outside, with its needle-like prickles, it looks uninviting, but once peeled, on the inside it is deliciously crisp and juicy.

The fruit is eaten fresh or used by many local communities for jam, syrup, chutney, beer, or witblits.

Not indigenous to South Africa, the prickly pear varieties most commonly found here originated in Mexico and other parts of Central America and were first seen by travellers to the Eastern Cape in the 1770s. Prickly Pear; A Social History of a Plant in the Eastern Cape, a new book, describes how this multipurpose fruit was used by trekboers, white commercial farmers, poor whites, farm workers, African peasants in the communal lands and black urban communities.

In the stark landscapes of the Eastern Cape and the Karoo, where it is generally found, the spread of the invasive cacti plants has slowed down.

Though it is still considered a weed, it is a weed with wide uses. The authors of Prickly Pear argue it gives poor people access to a cheap fruit rich in vitamin C.

You will find boxes of these pears in a good greengrocer until the end of March. Wear gloves when you're removing the prickles, then chill, peel and eat.

If you're more adventurous you can look up recipes online for jams and jellies. Try them.

• 'Prickly Pear; A Social History of a Plant' in the Eastern Cape by William Beinart and Luvuyo Wotshela, published by Wits University Press, R250