Exotic fruit The juicy and healthy papaya

The papaya tastes like a melon and smells of apricot. Ripe yellowish-colored fruits are pure, but also a pleasure in a fruit salad with kiwi and mango. A dash of lime or lemon juice and a little ginger underline the light honey note. Even unripe papayas with green peel are edible. They have a sourish taste and can be used in soups and chutneys, much like pumpkin.
Papayas are low in calories and rich in carotenoids (165 micrograms), fiber (1.7 g, especially pectin) and vitamin C (80 mg per 100 g). Depending on the degree of ripeness, the sugar content ranges between 6 and 19 percent. In addition, the fruit contains the protein-splitting enzymes papain and chymopapain, which promote digestion.

Picture: prapholl - fotolia

Before eating, divide the papaya in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. Then the pulp can simply be spooned out of the shell. For further processing, the peel is removed with a sharp knife and the fruit carefully cut into small pieces. But watch out: the meat is very slippery.

The papaya is also called Baummelone and is originally native to the tropics between Bolivia and southern Mexico. Today, the largest producing countries are India and Brazil. The berry fruits grow in grapes on up to ten-meter-high palm-like trees. Depending on the variety, the fruits are round to pear-shaped or oblong. In the middle are up to 1,000 black seeds. What many do not know: The seeds are edible. They have a high content of mustard glycosides which give them a peppery pungency. They are washed, dried, crushed with the mortar and used as a spice.

Papayas are available year round in stores. Grab ripe fruits that have lost their greens and give way to light pressure. They can be kept in the fridge for about a week. (Heike Kreutz, aid)