Papaya
is native to the tropics of the Americas, and is limited to where it
can grow, being
frost-sensitive,
but it seems to also be able to handle the slightly less favourable
weather conditions of the subtropical regions of Spain, since I have
noticed it growing in Seville just fine. Now this is a weird but true
fact.
Papaya tree with unripe
fruit near my home
Papaya is a large
tree-like plant, with a single stem up to 10 m tall, with spirally
arranged large leaves confined to the top of the trunk. The leaves
are of at least 50 cm in diameter, deeply palmately lobed into seven
lobes. Papaya is one of the most productive plants regarding its size
provided that it flowers and fruits at the same time.
Young Papaya plant in
Seville. Image taken from a forum of InfoJardín
Papaya fruits are smooth
skinned and have an oblong shape, they may be green, yellow, orange
or pink, and weigh up to 9 kg. Export-destined fruit are harvested
earlier, not weighing more than 600 g. It's ripe when if feels tender
and soft to the touch and its skin has acquired an amber to orange
shade. Ripe papaya fruit is usually eaten raw, without skin or seeds.
The unripe green fruit can be eaten cooked, in curries, salads and
stews, or it can be used to make jellies due to its pectine content.
Papaya with cream cheese.
Image and recipe taken from ABCdesevilla
Here's
a quick and easy papaya
dessert recipe
for you to try at home:
Papaya with cream cheese
Ingredients:
1-2 papayas (1 kg)
1 cup of sugar
ginger
cream cheese
2 cups of water
Preparation:
Peel the papaya and dice
it small. Make a simple sypup with sugar and water, add ginger and
papaya, and cook for a few minutes. Set aside and serve when cooled
in glasses with a scoop of cream cheese. Instead of cream cheese, you
can use finely grated parmesan or blue cheese cubes for an icying.
Greek yogurt or sour cream would also be a good sub for cream cheese.
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