Papaya (Carica papaya)

Warm Regard, Sara Pandian

ONCE considered an exotic fruit, the deliciously sweet papaya was called the ‘fruit of angels’ by the Conquistadors for its heavenly taste but today, the fruit is easily found in markets around the world.

Papaya trees produce spherical or pear-shaped fruits, ranging from seven inches to 20 inches long, all year round.

Its flesh is a rich orange colour or light orange with the inside of the inner cavity filled with black, round seeds encased in a gelatinous-like substance.

Healthy: The fruit, as well as the other parts of the papaya tree, contain papain, an enzyme that helps digest proteins.

Papaya’s seeds are edible, although their peppery flavour is somewhat bitter.

The papaya, papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae.

It is native to the tropics of the Americas, and was first cultivated in Mexico several centuries before the emergence of the Mesoamerican classical civilizations.

The tree is easily identifiable with its single stem growing from five to 10m with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk.

The fruit, as well as the other parts of the papaya tree, contain papain, an enzyme that helps digest proteins.

This enzyme is especially concentrated in unripe fruits.

Papain is extracted to make digestive enzyme dietary supplements and is also used as an ingredient in some chewing gums.