Going native means more than dressing to suit the locale.
If you're looking to break out of a nutritional rut, now is the time to "go native" with saguaro syrup.
But bear in mind that the jewel-red syrup is pricey — $15 for 1.5 ounces — and buying it is a lot like splurging on spectacular gold earrings to go with a special outfit. It's not something you're likely to do regularly.
Still, "saguaro cactus fruit is rich in soluble fiber and vitamin C," said Mary Paganelli, a writer who focuses on food and nutrition.
Paganelli moved to Tucson seven years ago from New York City and met up with Tohono O'odham Community Action (TOCA) while searching for foods native to this area.
TOCA, a nonprofit agency within the Tohono O'odham Nation, works to bring greater cultural awareness to the O'odham and to foster community health and sustainable development on the reservation.
People are also reading…
She cited studies that show that the fruit also helps regulate — "if not reduce" — blood sugars when eaten fresh. It is thought that it may also help reduce cholesterol.
The syrup is sweet enough to replace white sugar and syrups such as maple and corn, Paganelli said. Yet it does not cause a spike in blood sugars.
So how do you use the saguaro syrup?
We offer some recipe ideas from top chefs in Southern Arizona.
Saguaro is human to O'odham
J. Ross Browne, who traveled through what is now Arizona in 1864, referred to the "suaro" as "these gigantic sentinels of the desert."
No one would dispute that, but to the Tohono O'odham, saguaros are more than that, said Terrol Dew Johnson, co-director of Tohono O'odham Community Action (TOCA).
"We think of them as humans — people, because the first cactus actually was a boy that turned into the saguaro," Johnson said, explaining O'odham beliefs.
The boy was struggling through the desert. But the birds and animals protected him, nourishing and caring for him. In time, he became one with the desert, taking root and standing tall with arms raised on high, according to O'odham beliefs.
And then, in thankfulness to the birds and animals, he provided shelter and food for them.
Of course, we see birds — woodpeckers, cactus wrens, small owls — nest in the side of the saguaro. And in the summer, when animals especially need help under the scorching sun, they eat saguaro fruit.
Is it any wonder, then, that the Tohono O'odham feel a kinship with this magnificent plant, peculiar to our desert?
Every June, when so many residents of Southern Arizona are dreading the approach of summer, the O'odham look forward to heat and the end of the month when the saguaros' fruit will be ready for harvest.
This tradition, and the sacred saguaro wine ceremony, is designed to "sing down the rain," to bring the water that is so necessary for the agriculture that once sustained the people.
The Tohono O'odham's culture is truly an "agri-culture," with ceremonies, language, stories and songs rooted in the traditional food production system, Johnson explained.
"When we sing and dance for four nights, we are asking our Creator to bring the rain . . . (to fill) the aquifers and wells," he said.
With the summer rains (the monsoon), "life becomes full again; the plants become full. It's a fresh start to life in the desert," Johnson said.
It is, in effect, the beginning of a new cycle of life, a new year.
Jack Strong, chef de cuisine at Kai Restaurant, Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa on the Gila River Indian Community in Chandler, uses saguaro syrup in a vinaigrette over a salad of baby greens, grilled dates, cheese and chives.
Saguaro-Lavender Vinaigrette
* 1/2 cup port wine
* 1 tablespoon dried lavender
* 6 tablespoons saguaro syrup
* 1/2 cup berry vinegar
* 1 small shallot
* 1 to 1 1/2 cup canola oil
* Sea salt and pepper
* Baby Lola Rosa greens
* Baby green leaf lettuce
* Baby red leaf lettuce
* Grilled dates, sliced
* 2 tablespoons chives, chopped
* Humbolt Fog Goat Cheese
In a saucepan, reduce the port, lavender and saguaro syrup by half. Strain into a blender and add the vinegar and shallot. While pureeing, slowly add the oil and finish with salt and pepper to taste.
In a mixing bowl, toss the greens and chives with the vinaigrette. Season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.
Pit and grill the dates whole, let cool and slice. Slice or crumble the goat cheese and set aside.
To assemble: Stack greens in layers in the middle of the plate and garnish with dates and goat cheese. As a finishing garnish, drizzle saguaro syrup around the greens.
Mary Nearn is executive chef at Miraval Life in Balance Resort in Catalina.
She uses the syrup in cookies and a smoothie.
Ginger Spice Cookies
Makes: 65 1-oz cookies
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 3/4 cups raw cane sugar plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
* 1/2 cup saguaro syrup
* 6 large egg whites
* 3 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1 teaspoon ground ginger
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, lightly spray cookie sheets and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, cream butter until soft. Add the sugar and saguaro syrup and mix well. Beat in the egg whites, stirring until creamy.
Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to wet mixture. Stir until well blended.
Spoon by the heaping teaspoon onto a prepared baking sheet. Use the extra two tablespoons of sugar to sprinkle over tops of the cookies.
Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Each cookie contains 50 calories from fat.
Mudslide Smoothie
Makes: 1 serving
* 2 teaspoons carob powder
* 3/4 cup soy milk
* 1 whole banana
* 1 teaspoon nut butter
* 12 ounces ice
* 1 teaspoon saguaro syrup
Combine all ingredients in blender and blend.
Great flavor plus bursting with protein and potassium.
Calories: 261. Fat: 5 g.
eat it all
The giant saguaro produces more to eat than fruit (bahidaj), says Mary Paganelli, a food writer who works with Tohono O'odham Community Action (TOCA).
There also is kaij (saguaro seeds), hihij (pulp) and hihij kusul (a thick jam made by cooking the pulp with sitol (saguaro syrup).
The saguaro seeds make a great snack, Paganelli said in a recent newsletter she wrote for the O'odham.
Traditionally, they were toasted in pieces of pottery jars.
Today you can spread them on a cookie sheet and toast them in the oven at 350 degrees just till they start to pop.
"It only takes a few minutes," she said.
Use them like sunflower seeds or add them to muffins, granola or salad dressings, she advises.
"They're full of healthy oils and high in fiber."
TOCA sells saguaro seeds for $2 an ounce in 4- or 8-ounce bags.