Superfood Spotlight: Papaya

Rich in fiber and vitamin C

Provided By: Berkeley Wellness

Although this fruit has emerged from its status as an exotic import, the romance and lure of the tropics is still part of the papaya's appeal. Today, papayas are found in most supermarkets, which is fortunate for the consumer. The papaya is a melonlike fruit with yellow-orange flesh enclosed in skin that ranges in color from green to orange to rose. At the papaya's center is an oblong cavity containing dozens of small glistening black seeds. The papaya is sometimes referred to as a papaw, but that is a misnomer, as the papaw is a separate fruit that belongs to an unrelated botanical family and has a different taste and texture.

Exactly where the papaya originated is unknown. It is probably native to the Americas, but it has been introduced into other continents and grows profusely throughout the world's tropical regions. The papaya can grow from seed to a 20-foot, fruit-bearing tree in about 18 months. The fruit grows in groups at the top of the tree and can weigh from half a pound to 20 pounds each. The fruit can be round, pear-shaped, or elongated like a banana, depending upon the particular strain.

Nutritional Profile
Sweet and refreshing, and an excellent source of vitamin C, papaya also provides fiber, folate, vitamin E, potassium, and the carotenoids beta cryptoxanthin and beta carotene.

In the Market
The papayas that most frequently appear on the market are the Solo varieties grown in Hawaii. Papayas from Mexico--another major producer and exporter--are not as common, though you may be able to find them in Hispanic markets.

• BabcoThis papaya hybrid is a native of Ecuador. It is 8 to 12 inches long and 4 inches in diameter; it is pentagonal in cross-section. The skin is entirely edible, and turns from green to yellow as it ripens. This fragrant fruit is extremely juicy and has hints of pineapple. Choose the yellowest fruits that are still firm, as these will be the sweetest. Add bab?cos to fruit salads and desserts only at the last minute, because they have more papain than regular papayas and will quickly turn other ingredients mushy.
  
  
• MexicanThese are large papayas--reaching lengths of 2 feet and weighing 10 pounds or more. They are not as sweet as the more common Solo papayas. Mexican red papayas have mellow-flavored, rose-colored flesh. Mexican yellow papayas can grow up to 10 pounds.
  
  
• SoloThese fruits are pear-shaped, about 6 inches long, and weigh from 1 to 2 pounds each. They have green-yellow skin and their flesh can be bright golden or pinkish. Sunrise Solo, developed at the University of Hawaii, has a unique reddish-pink color and a flavor reminiscent of strawberries. Strawberry Sunrise is another Solo from Hawaii. It has reddish-orange to pink flesh and is very sweet and flavorful.

Choosing the Best
Papayas are picked when firm-ripe to help them survive long-distance shipping; those in the market are likely to be partially ripe. Papayas turn from green to yellow-orange as they ripen, so you should choose fruits that are at least half yellow; the color change begins at the bottom and progresses toward the stem end. Papayas that are completely green with no tinge of yellow have been picked too soon and may never ripen properly. Fully ripe papayas are three-quarters to totally yellow or yellow-orange; they will give slightly when pressed gently between your palms, but should not be soft and mushy at the stem end. The skin should be smooth, unbruised, and unshriveled; but slight, superficial blemishes may be disregarded. Uncut papayas have no aroma; cut papayas should smell fragrant and sweet, not harsh or fermented.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve wedges of papaya with thin slices of smoked turkey for an appetizer.
• Serve sliced papaya for dessert with wedges of lemon or lime..
• Make a chicken or seafood salad and add chunks of papaya just before serving..
• Top frozen yogurt with diced papaya..
• Puree papaya and stir in a bit of lime juice. Serve on waffles or pancakes..
• Cut half-ripe papayas lengthwise and remove the seeds. Sprinkle the cavities with cinnamon and nutmeg and bake as you would apples.v
• Unripe (green) papaya can be treated more like a vegetable than a fruit: Add chunks of green papaya to stews..

When You Get Home
A papaya that is one-quarter to one-third yellow will ripen in 2 to 4 days if left at room temperature; place it in a paper bag with a banana for faster ripening. Transfer ripe papayas to a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to a week, but the delicate flavor fades with time, so use them within a day or two, if possible.

Preparing to Use
Wash the papaya, then cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Save the seeds for a crunchy topping for a salad, if desired. Peel the papaya with a paring knife or vegetable peeler and cut the flesh into wedges, slices, or dice.

Don't use unripe papaya in gelatin molds, as the papain it contains will prevent the mixture from gelling. Also, if adding papaya to other dishes, add it at the end so that the papain will not make the other ingredients mushy.

Papain
Papaya contains an enzyme called papain that breaks down protein, thus making the fruit a good meat tenderizer. Only unripe papayas and the leaves of the papaya tree have papain; ripe papaya holds very little. Cooks in the Caribbean islands wrap meats in papaya leaves before baking or grilling, and they also marinate stew meats and poultry with chunks of unripe papaya before cooking to tenderize the meat. Papain is also extracted from papaya, dried to a powder, and sold as a meat tenderizer. Simply sprinkling the powder on the surface of the meat, however, will not produce the desired effect; the meat must be pierced all over with a fork or skewer to allow the tenderizer to penetrate it.

PAPAYA / 1 cup cubes

• Calories - 55
• Protein (g) - 1
• Carbohydrate (g) -14
• Dietary fiber (g) - 2.5
• Total fat (g) - 0.2
• Saturated fat (g) - 0.1
• Monounsaturated fat (g) - 0.1
• Polyunsaturated fat (g) - 0
• Cholesterol (mg) - 0
• Potassium (mg) - 360
• Sodium (mg) - 4

Key Nutrients (%rda/ai*)

• Vitamin C 87 mg (96%)
• Vitamin E 1.6 mg (10%)
• Folate 53 mcg (13%)