Sounds like the garden variety of Opuntia or Prickly Pear. My Latino neighbors like to eat the young pads (Nopales) and the apples (Tunas).

I grow them because I like the looks of them and when the neighbors ask for some, I tell them they can have whatever they can reach over the fence which is a lot. My Prickly Pear hedges are huge.

I have several cactus that have the most beautiful flowers, I run for the camera when they bloom. The reason for the speed to photograph is the flower won't last overnight! Al