Papaya is a fleshy fruit, low in calories, digestive, and rich in vitamin C. It facilitates our digestion, takes care of our skin and although its main exporter is Mexico, we only have to go to the Axarquía region of Malaga to get our supplies. Today, all the benefits of this tropical fruit.
Papaya is a tropical fruit that is equally at home as a popular song or as an eternal joke among friends. All this, without losing even a bit of all the organoleptic virtues and health benefits that characterize it. From taking care of our skin, goodbye to acne, to facilitating our digestion, including its powerful antioxidant effect. Whether raw as a snack or accompanied by lemon, onion, and avocado, papaya is a fruit to know and enjoy. Below, what papaya is, what it can do for our body, and how to get the most out of it in the kitchen.
What is papaya
Papaya ( Carica papaya ) is a fleshy, digestive fruit rich in vitamin C, also known as papayón, olocotón, mamón, papaya or papaya. It comes from the papaya tree, a herbaceous plant that resembles a tree due to its fibrous trunk, its palmate leaves and its average height of eight meters.
The papaya tree grows in the tropics and subtropics where it receives abundant water, light, and heat, with a preference for a temperature range of 23 to 27 ºC. It differs depending on whether the flower is hermaphrodite, female or male. Depending on this, the fruit will be more elongated, in the case of the hermaphrodite flower, or more rounded, in the case of the female flower. The development cycle is striking because it grows quickly and is highly productive, but only for a short period of time. Specifically, it begins to bear fruit after eight months and its harvest lasts up to eighteen or twenty months. However, after this period, production decreases and the difficulty of caring for the papaya tree increases, so farmers usually replace them with new plants.
The weight of the fruit varies depending on the variety of papaya. Criollo varieties such as ‘Parriteña’ produce papayas of approximately 3 kg, while varieties such as ‘Solo’ from Hawaii produce fruits of barely half a kg. In Spain, it has been successfully cultivated in Tenerife and the Axarquía region of Malaga, a small tropical refuge.
Origin and history of papaya
Papaya is native to the American continent and although the exact region is unknown, all hypotheses point to Mexico as its birthplace. The presumption is that this tropical herbaceous plant spread from this nerve centre to the rest of Central America and South America.
There are records of the transport of papaya seeds to Panama and the Dominican Republic from 1525. A little later, in 1550, it landed in the Philippines by the Spanish. It would take another century to reach Italy, where it continues to be cultivated in the ever-fruitful Sicily. A worldwide expansion that also saw its defeats. In the mid-90s, when it was already successfully cultivated in many tropical regions, countries such as Puerto Rico or the state of Florida lost most of their crops to viruses and other diseases. Miami, at the same time, saw the opportunity and, thanks to the Italian Alberto Santo, became a reference point for the import and later export of papaya.
Today, many markets have opted for this tropical fruit. According to FAO data, compiled from 2015 to 2022, Mexico is the world leader in exports by far. It is followed by Guatemala and Brazil. However, papaya is still far behind avocado, mango, or pineapple, which together represent more than 75% of tropical fruit sales. These figures are presented as an invitation to increase the cultivation and market of papaya, a fruit full of virtues.
Nutritional value of papaya
Papaya is low in calories and has more than 70% vitamin C content, ahead of oranges. It has no cholesterol or fat and provides between 7 and 10% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin A, folic acid, and magnesium.
- Energy : 33 kcal
- Carbohydrates : 7.6 g
- Protein : 0.5 g
- Fats : 0.5 g
- Fiber : 1.9 g
- Folates : 45 g
- Magnesium : 13 mg
- Vitamin A : 52 ug
- Vitamin C : 64 mg
Properties and benefits of papaya
As a nutraceutical food, papaya is not only nutritious but also has many therapeutic effects on health. It is an antioxidant, it is ideal for low-calorie diets, for skin care, to strengthen the immune system and it is digestive. In short, it is an ideal dessert or snack, especially for those lucky enough to live closer to its crops.
Antioxidant effect
All foods rich in vitamins have a higher probability of being potential antioxidants. Such is the case of papaya. Very rich in vitamin C and with a good supply of vitamin A, it is an ideal fruit to include in our diets if what we are looking for is to contribute to prolonging the good state of our body.
Ideal for low-calorie diets
What can we say about papaya’s less than 40 kcal per 100 g? As it is a lesser-known and attractive fruit, as well as juicy, we may unconsciously associate it with a higher energy value. However, a couple of slices of papaya still do not exceed 100 kcal, which makes it an ideal fruit to include in low-calorie diets, and of course, in the framework of any healthy diet.
Perfect for taking care of your skin
Papaya contains an amazing enzyme: papain. Beyond its effects on the digestive system, which we will see later, recent studies have shown that its topical use helps eliminate acne, clean pores, reduce pigmentation of sun spots, and make skin look radiant. Without a doubt, it is worth saving a little of the pulp to start making our own masks.
Fruit suitable for dyslipidemia
Dyslipidemia is the clinical condition that presents a high cholesterol or triglyceride load. Papaya contains practically no fat and no cholesterol, making it a recommended fruit for the diet of people with this pathology, since it will not be aggravated by its consumption in any way.
Papaya to take care of the digestive system
As we mentioned a couple of paragraphs above, papain is a fascinating enzyme. Not only does it help our skin topically, but by consuming papaya we are obtaining its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial effect and the stimulation of pancreatic juices that help make our digestion a pleasant ride.
Contraindications of papaya
When talking about the contraindications of papaya, it is extremely important to differentiate between red papaya and green papaya. Surely, if you are reading these lines, the only papaya you will have seen in the market or on your travels through Asia is the red one, orange on the outside and inside. The red one is generally a safe food, which can even be used on the skin for up to a week without any major complications.
However, green papaya, which is the unripe version, is a much spicier fruit with a high papain content. This enzyme that has so many healthy properties for the skin and digestive system can become a health problem if we use it in large quantities. And that is exactly what would happen if we used green papaya.
Risks for the digestive system and skin
Consuming too much green papaya, which is rich in papain, can lead to vomiting, nausea, and digestive problems. On the other hand, topical use of green papaya is contraindicated because it could cause a skin reaction or allergy.
Not recommended for pregnant women
Similarly, while ripe papaya appears to be a safe food, green papaya is contraindicated for pregnant women and it is recommended in all cases to consult a medical specialist.
Not recommended for those allergic to latex or papain
People allergic to latex may have a reaction to papaya and its derivatives. Likewise, papaya is totally contraindicated for people allergic to papain.
Papaya recipes and uses in the kitchen
Ripe, natural papaya is a great breakfast, snack, and appetizer like no other. It is refreshing, soft, and tender, and can be mixed with yogurt and oatmeal or eaten alone. The best thing is that with a few cubes of this same papaya, we can prepare salads. Yes, a little papaya, onion, avocado, cilantro, lemon, and pepper and we are guaranteed an explosion of flavor.
Of course, we can also use it to make a delicious fruit smoothie inspired by Indian ingredients or a Venezuelan papaya sweet, which is something like an aromatic syrup ideal for the Christmas holidays. These are holidays where a good toast cannot be missed and what better than a fruit punch, with or without alcohol, in which to include our favorite fruit? And so that it doesn’t fail you in any of the recipes, below we leave you the best tips for choosing papaya at the right time and how to preserve it.
Papaya seeds are a bite of vegetable caviar with a spicy touch and totally edible. Due to their characteristics, many take advantage of adding them to their salads as a dressing.
How to preserve papaya
Like any other fruit, papaya can be stored in our fruit bowl as long as it is still somewhat green. Especially when it is close to ripe pieces if we want to speed up the process. If it is ready to be consumed, there is nothing better than storing the piece in the refrigerator, whole or cut into cubes in a tightly sealed container for about two or three days.
How to choose the perfect papaya
The skin of papaya turns slightly yellow as it ripens. Also, although its skin is thick, it yields slightly to gentle pressure when it is ripe. When buying it, that is exactly the state we are looking for.
However, it should not surprise you that most papaya that reaches supermarkets and markets does so in a very green state. It is a very perishable tropical fruit, so harvesting it a little early is one of the easiest solutions to allow it to reach our table. If we want to speed up the ripening process, we just need to leave it in the same basket as a ripe avocado or banana and the magic of ethylene will do the rest.