Favourable eating experiences are influential in consumer decision making when it comes to food choices. In Mexico, the young stems (nopalitos) are regularly consumed in a variety of dishes. In the rest of the world, few consumers are aware of this tasty and sustainable vegetable. Consumers fear trying unfamiliar foods and require verbal descriptions before trying them. The aim was to compare and describe the edible characteristics by measuring the turgidity (moisture content and mucilage viscosity), texture (penetrability and compressibility) and gustatory (titratable acidity, pH and total soluble solids) characteristics of nopalitos from two cactus pear cultivars (‘Fusicualis and ‘Morado’) with those of popular vegetables. Nopalitos (‘Fusicualis’ and ‘Morado’) were harvested at 15 cm growth length in the spring (September) of 2018. Green pepper, onion, tomato, green beans, cucumber, celery, carrot and baby marrow were bought at a local (Bloemfontein) market. Six 3-cm samples of each were analysed. Resistance to compressibility and penetration texture tests (Stanhope-Seta penetrometer) were conducted on samples. Moisture content and pH (Eutech pH 2700 pH/mV/C/F) were conducted on macerated samples. Mucilage viscosity (line spread test), percentage titratable acids (titration with 0.1 M NaOH) and total soluble solids (TSS) were measured on extracted juices. Nopalitos had similar moisture content (p< 0.001) compared to other vegetables; however, the nopalito juices showed higher viscosity. Thus it may be experienced as being slimy. The firmness was higher (indicated softness), and the compressibility was comparable to baby marrow and green pepper (p< 0.001). The taste could be described as significantly sourer than tomatoes (p< 0.001) but comparable in sugar content to celery and green beans (p< 0.001). The two nopalitos cultivars had comparable edible characteristics to familiar vegetables and thus could be described to consumers who are willing to try unfamiliar vegetables.