A nopal (or nopales, plural) are the paddles of a prickly pear, or a paddle cactus. However, if you are planning to eat it, calling it a nopal is just more appetizing (at least for a gringa like me). Mexicans make good use of this plant, chowing down on the nopales as a side or topping to many savory dishes and the prickly pear fruit (tuna in Spanish) as a sweet snack. I am not sure about the actual terminology, but the cactus pad has a "slime", which means the nopales have to be cooked properly to be enjoyable.
The nopal has been a part of Mexican cuisine for 12,000 years among the indigenous cultures. In fact, the nopal is crucial to the Aztec origins of Mexico City. The myth goes that the god Huitzilopochtli told the Mexica people where to settle, that their city should be where they found a snake on a nopal being eaten by an eagle (the basis for the symbol in the middle of the Mexican flag). That is where Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City) was founded in 1325.
Mythology aside, nopales are loved in Mexican cuisine. They are eaten as a salad, a topping for tacos, mixed in with pico de gallo or straight-up fried or grilled. The best tasting and simplest preparation, which can be used in any of the above dishes - and then some, is comal cooking, and the procedure is as follows:
1 - Make sure to buy fresh nopales that have had all the prickles scraped off (which is usually done in the supermarket).
2 - Score the paddle lightly three to five times. Rub with a very small amount of oil on both sides (maybe one squirt with a spray bottle, if you have one).
3 - Sprinkle with salt.
4 - Cook on a comal (griddle) over low heat about 10 to 15 minutes on each side, or until cooked through with the slightest coloring (but, do not char!)
In Mexico, nopales are fresh, but you can also buy them sliced and jarred or canned. If you live in a very, very Latin neighborhood, you may be able to find them, or even fresh, but you can definitely get them online at mexgrocer.com.
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