How to eat papaya: ways

You can eat papaya today not only in tropical countries. Originating from Central America and South Asia, the culture has taken root well in Mexico, Africa, India, the USA, and Hawaii. For Thailand, papaya is a traditional product, purposefully grown and included in most of the national dishes. In Our Country, the fruits are not yet so popular, therefore, not everyone knows how to properly cut and eat an exotic fruit.

What does papaya look like

The plant resembles a coconut palm in appearance, but, strictly speaking, is not a tree. Young papaya develops surprisingly quickly, the hollow trunk can reach 10 m, although its typical size is about 5 m. The top is crowned with a dense rosette of large leaves growing up to 70 cm in length. The fruits are concentrated in the crown and appear from the axils of the leaves near the trunk, which completes the similarity of the plant with a palm tree.

Papaya begins to bear fruit within 6 months after germination, for which it is often called the tree of an impatient gardener. In the Thai climate, which is the most favorable for culture, it is eaten all year round, since the budding is constant, and ripening is not tied to the seasons.

The appearance of large varieties of papaya justifies its other name – “melon tree”. Oval fruits in color and shape resemble sweet gourds. Even their taste is considered by many to be similar. So Asian or Caribbean varieties usually weigh more than 3 kg, there are especially large specimens up to 7 kg. Small varieties, most often Hawaiian, are pear-shaped.

The green peel, when ripe, acquires an orange or yellow uniform color. Most Thai varieties are distinguished by their small size and fruit color ranging from yellow to amber. Ripe pulp is juicy, elastic, rich orange, sometimes with a pink tint. In the center of the papaya, as seen in the cross-sectional photo of the fruit, black, round seeds are concentrated, wrapped in dense fibers, which makes it even more like a melon.

What does papaya taste like

The taste of papaya is not very familiar to the consumer. Many prefer to eat it only as part of restaurant dishes. Ripe pulp is compared with boiled carrots, ripe melons, and the aroma reminds many of raspberries or peaches. Shades of taste depend on the variety, the country of origin and the degree of maturity. The average characteristics of a quality fruit include juiciness, sweetness, refreshing taste without signs of bitterness.

Unripe papaya can be eaten as a vegetable, it does not have a pronounced fruity taste. Green fruits are often bitter. Representatives of peoples who have been cultivating the culture for centuries can eat bitter specimens without consequences. An overripe fruit loses its sweetness and firmness. This pulp is not recommended.

The ability of the crop to ripen after harvest helps to ship it around the world. However, the taste of such fruits does not reach the sweetness and aroma of those ripened on the tree. Therefore, a complete picture of a quality fruit can be obtained only if you buy and eat papaya in countries where it grows.

How to choose a ripe papaya fruit

Since the degree of maturity directly affects the taste, it is very important to choose the right papaya. Before evaluating fruits by ripeness, be sure to inspect the surface for the presence of dents, cuts, cracks, and dried skin areas. Any damage to the integrity suggests that eating such fruits is harmful, and sometimes dangerous to health.

Criteria for ripeness and freshness of papaya:

1. The color is even, without dark spots, burgundy stains are acceptable. The amount of green tint on the peel of yellow varieties should not exceed 1/5. Such papaya is more likely to ripen at home.
2. The smell is distinct, more pronounced at the stem. May resemble raspberries, peach, melon. A sugary-sweet aroma may indicate that the papaya is overripe and should not be eaten.
3. The pulp is elastic, springy when pressed. Hard, “stony” surface in immature specimens. The soft fruit, on which marks remain after pressing, is overripe.

Papaya should not be eaten with any of the following signs of chemical processing from cultivation or shipping:

• sticky peel;
• no smell with bright color;
• pronounced veins on the surface.

You can determine the ripeness of green papaya varieties using the same criteria, excluding color. Freshness and safety are evaluated similarly.

How to peel papaya

The peel of the fruit is not eaten, but the fruits must be thoroughly washed before processing. It is important to remove from the surface not only dust, microbes, but also traces of chemicals used in the transportation of any tropical fruit. To do this, pour boiling water over the papaya and wipe it dry, or wash it with a soft brush under running hot water.

Ripe skin is thin and tender. You can easily peel papaya before eating with a sharp knife or potato peeler. But for convenience, the fruit is first cut lengthwise and in half. The seeds are removed, and then the skin is removed. Otherwise, you can lose some of the juice or crush the tender pulp.

How to cut papaya

Bones and fibers are removed from the center of the fruit cut in half, as from a melon. To do this, you can use a regular spoon. Next, the pulp is cut in several ways:

• long slices along with the peel to eat like gourds;
• the peeled halves are cut into cubes and poured into salad or fruit dishes;
• make perpendicular cuts, capturing only the pulp, leaving the peel intact, after which the fruit can be “turned out” for a spectacular serving.

It is most convenient to eat raw papaya, cut into cubes, using a fork or chopsticks. But the pulp of a ripe fruit is so malleable that you can simply use a spoon after cutting the fruit in half.

How to eat papaya

Acquaintance with an exotic fruit should begin gradually. For the first time, you need to eat raw papaya in small portions, tracking the possible reactions of the body to unfamiliar food. Ripe fruits contain latex juice, sometimes causing allergies.

How to eat raw papaya

High-quality, ripe fruits are not only tasty, but also healthy. Trace elements, vitamins, valuable organic compounds in the composition are better preserved if you eat papaya fresh, without subjecting it to heat treatment.

The fruits are very nutritious, they can be eaten alone or as part of complex dishes. Their use is universal: they can complement the taste of vegetable salads or fruit mixes.

In salty dishes, raw papaya goes well with cheese, tomatoes, game. Such salads or side dishes can be eaten with any suitable sauce, including fish and garlic. Smoothies are traditionally made from Mexican papaya varieties.

In sweet mixed desserts, the fruits can be combined with tropical or local fruits and berries. Any creams, syrups are suitable for the delicate taste of papaya.

The ripe, sweet pulp is easy to make into a fruit sorbet. It is enough to beat papaya with water and sugar with the addition of a small amount of lemon juice. The mass should be frozen in any convenient form and eaten like ice cream. The delicate taste of the dessert can be supplemented with any berries, arbitrarily combined with fruits. This sorbet is especially pleasant to eat in the heat.

Using a blender, you can prepare a fragrant mass of milk, papaya pulp, sugar, vanilla. The drink is cooled and served as a cocktail. If desired, the mass is thickened and then frozen to be eaten as a sorbet.

Can You Eat Papaya Seeds?

The dark, round grains extracted from the fruit during peeling are usually discarded. But in the homeland of tropical fruits, seeds also have their uses. The grains, similar to black peppercorns, taste like this hot spice. Ground seeds are seasoned with sauces, first and second courses.

In Japan and China, grains are used to cleanse the body of toxins, as an antidote and for liver diseases. Doctors in Nigeria have documented the anti-parasitic effect of taking the seeds.

Grains can be eaten whole, chewed or ground into powder. For humans, such a pepper substitute is non-toxic, but requires gradual addiction. To test the tolerance of the product, it is enough to chew and swallow one grain of papaya. In the absence of unexpected reactions, the reception can be continued, but during the first week, no more than 2 seeds per day should be eaten.

how to cook papaya

Papaya is not only eaten raw. There are many options for using valuable pulp in different cultures and cuisines of the world:

1. Unripe fruits can be cooked like potatoes. Pieces of pulp boiled in a small amount of water can be eaten, seasoned with salt, pepper, vegetable (preferably olive) oil.
2. Green specimens in Thailand and Vietnam are stewed and eaten as a vegetable. In meat stews, papaya can be replaced with zucchini or pumpkin.
3. The baked vegetable can be eaten without additional seasonings. It smells like fresh pastries, for this plant is called “breadfruit”. Dessert taste in the manufacture of buns from pulp is supplemented with nuts, spices, dried fruits.
4. The fruits contain a large amount of pectin, which allows you to gel various desserts. From the pulp, original jams and marmalades are obtained.
5. With a sauce made from the pulp and seasoned with ground seeds, you can eat any meat dishes. Often, ginger root and chili peppers are added to the recipe for spiciness.

In some countries, papaya is specially harvested at “vegetable” maturity for the preparation of main dishes. Fruits ripening on the tree acquire aroma and sweetness, they are preferred to be eaten as a dessert.

What to do if a papaya is cut and it is not ripe

Transportation of fruit around the world is possible due to its ability to ripen after picking from the plant. If the purchased copy turned out to be green, you can leave it for several days in a warm place for ripening. In the refrigerator and at low temperatures, fruits will not ripen.

You can speed up the process by placing fruits next to bananas. It is not recommended to keep papaya in polyethylene, therefore, for ripening, fruits are laid out in food containers or paper bags. The ethylene gas released by the banana will speed up the process, and the ripened fruits can be eaten in a day.

If it was not possible to finish the papaya or the fruit has already been cut, then its pulp can be boiled or stewed. Unripe specimens contain an alkaloid that is aggressive to the unprepared stomach and should not be eaten raw.

Why is papaya bitter

The pulp of the fruit until ripening is pierced by vessels-tubules that carry bitter juice. This milky fluid contains papain alkaloids that can cause stomach upset. In the process of ripening, the pulp acquires sugars, and the vessels become thinner and become indistinguishable. Ripe papaya contains the substance in a minimal amount.

The chemical activity of bitterness has made it possible since ancient times to use the plant to soften hard animal fibers. Meat grated with papaya pulp becomes soft, retains freshness longer. A concentrated extract from the fruit is now produced industrially for use in cooking.

Not only unripe fruit can be bitter. Some Mexican papaya varieties have a slight bitterness even after full ripening. These fruits are large and have red flesh. They can be eaten raw, despite the spicy taste.

How to store papaya at home

Traditionally bought fruits are immediately placed in the refrigerator. But for papaya, there are some special storage rules:

1. Papaya is placed in the refrigerator only as a last resort, for example, to preserve the chopped pulp. After 3 days, the taste begins to weaken.
2. Whole fruits spoil quickly in plastic bags. It is better to use cling film to tightly wrap the papaya.
3. In the conditions of an ordinary apartment for fruits, they try to find a shaded, cool place. Direct sunlight leads to rotting of the fruit.
4. They try not to stack fruits in layers, otherwise the tender pulp is easily crushed and spoiled.

How long does papaya last

The plant is especially sensitive to temperature changes. Moving from the room to the refrigerator and back can spoil the product in a few hours. It is right to eat papaya chilled, but it is better to get fruits to the table in portions, without exposing the stored fruits to tangible fluctuations.

Optimal conditions for long-term storage of fruits:

• temperature not higher than + 10 °C;
• humidity in the range from 85 to 90%;
• no contact with other fruits or food.

If you manage to create such a regime, ripening papaya will last longer than 10 days. Ripe fruits should be eaten within 7 days. Temperature changes affect the shelf life of tropical fruits in this way:

1. Above + 20 °C – no longer than 3 days.
2. About + 5 °C – about 7 days;
3. At constant + 10 ° C – 14 days.

Papaya pulp does not tolerate freezing well. With such storage, not only the taste, but also the texture of the fruit deteriorates.

Conclusion

You can eat papaya at any age, without health restrictions. The only caveat concerns the period of pregnancy and is associated with the unfamiliarity of the plant for latitudes. Otherwise, the product is very useful and interesting, and its versatility allows you to try papaya in salty, sweet dishes, drinks and find your own way of eating an unusual fruit.