The melon-like fruit is becoming more and more common in supermarkets. But how do you eat papayas and how can you tell if the exotic fruit is ripe?
Their original home is probably in Central America, where the papaya (Carica papaya) was already cultivated by indigenous people. With the colonization, the cultivation area spread and today papayas are cultivated in tropical areas worldwide. It is considered he althy and can also be found more and more often in fruit shops and supermarkets. But what can you eat from the papaya and how should you prepare it? We want to clarify these questions now.
How do you recognize a ripe papaya?
You can tell the ripeness of the papaya best by the color of the skin, from completely green - unripe - to yellow or with red spots - ripe - you can buy almost everything. Since papayas have a long journey from the growing area to us in Europe and they do not ripen as well as bananas (Musa) or avocados (Persea) , they are mostly transported by plane. You can also let the fruit ripen at home, but at least a small part of it should already be yellow. Other signs of ripeness are the softness of the fruit, which can be recognized by gently pressing it with your fingers, and a sweet scent. A ripe papaya has a deep red-orange, juicy and soft flesh.
Tip: Although papayas only get their maximum flavor when they are fully ripe, you can even eat unripe papayas. Unripe papayas are mostly used for salads.
Do you have to peel papayas?
Papayas do not necessarily have to be peeled. The flesh can be scooped out with a spoon, similar to the kiwi. However, if the papaya is to be shaved and used in salads or other dishes, it is worth peeling the papaya. A vegetable peeler works best for this.
How to cut papayas
Depending on how you want to eat the papaya, it has to be cut differently. After the papaya has been peeled, cut it in halfto remove the nuclei from within. This is best done with a spoon. The kernels can either be put in the organic waste or you can put them aside and then use them again. More on this later.
The tropical fruit can be diced for most papaya recipes. If you are making a som tam salad - a traditional Lao papaya salad - the papaya needs to be shaved into strips.
Can you eat papayas raw?
The papaya is eaten both raw and cooked. The consistency of the raw pulp is reminiscent of that of melons. Since the two fruits are very similar in taste, all recipes intended for melons can be prepared with papaya instead.
Are papaya seeds edible?
Yes, apart from the skin you can use everything from the papaya, even the papaya seeds are edible. The only question is how to eat papaya seeds. Straight from the fruit, they taste slightly hot, similar to cress. You can either add these directly to salads or dry them. The seeds are about the size of peppercorns and, after drying, can be ground like the seeds of the pepper plant (Piper). To dry, the seeds must first be cleaned of pulp residue and dried in the oven at a low temperature for about three hours. You can then put the seeds in a spice or pepper mill and use them to season sweet and savory dishes. The taste is actually reminiscent of pepper.
How do you eat papaya seeds?
- Raw: With salads or appetizers
- Dried: Like Pepper
Tip: Even if the seeds are not eaten, they can still be used. In our article we explain how you can plant the papaya seeds and grow your own papaya.
How does papaya taste?
The pulp tastes like a melon, very juicy, refreshing and sweet, with the sweetness depending on the ripeness of the papaya. The riper the fruit, the sweeter it tastes.
How he althy are papayas?
Papaya contains many vitamins, the proportion of vitamin C is very high. Just 100 grams of papaya cover 76 percent of the daily vitamin C requirement. In Thailand, young people like to eat raw papaya in a salad to stay slim - and that's a lienot only because of their low fat and calorie content. An enzyme called papain, which has a proteolytic effect, is contained in the fruit, especially in the green skin and seeds. This enzyme helps to digest protein and is also used as a tenderizer for tough meat. It is also said to help burn fat, which is why unripe papayas are popular when dieting.
Papayas are very similar in texture and taste to melons. You can find out where melons come from and what different types there are in our article on the origin of melons.