Papayas were already known to Spanish sailors such as Christopher Columbus
The exact area of origin of the papayas has not yet been scientifically determined. However, evidence from the 16th Century shows that Spanish sailors found the fruits, which were used in many ways by the local indigenous people, in Mexico and other places in Central America. After all, it was the Spaniards who laid the foundation for today's distribution with the settlement of papayas in the Antilles and the Philippines.
also read
- The harvest time for the tropical papaya
- Can a dog be fed a papaya?
- Does the papaya belong to the fruit or to the vegetable?
The name of the papaya
The name papaya is used today in common parlance for the plant and the fruit of a whole range of papaya varieties. The name papaya probably comes from the language of the Arawak Indians living in Central America. These are said to have called the fruits that are important in their culture as "ababai", which can be roughly translated as "tree of health". Because of its membership of the melon family (Caricaceae), papaya is sometimes also referred to as tree melon or melon tree fruit.
Where do the papayas in the supermarket come from?
Nowadays there are basically different varieties of papaya that have arisen through crossing and as breeding with disease resistance. The papayas available in stores in this country are usually only about a pound in weight and come from growing areas such as Hawaii or Brazil. In Hawaii, papayas of the variety Rainbow Papaya, which is resistant to the papaya ring spot virus, are now grown almost exclusively. But there are also papayas in Mexico that can weigh up to 5 kilograms. Other growing areas in the tropics and subtropics are:
- Australia
- India
- Ivory Coast
How are papayas used?
The papayas from the supermarket should already have at least a few yellow spots or stripes on their green skin so that they can still be at home to ripen can. However, papayas can be used according to the respective taste fruits or vegetables to be enjoyed. Papayas have been harvested too early so that they no longer have full sweetness mature, they can still be cooked into the following products:
- Asian salads with hot seasoning
- Chutneys
- Curries
- Salsas
Tips & Tricks
You can tell the ripeness of the papayas flown in here not only by the development of the yellowish ripeness. Ripe fruits can also be pressed in more gently with the finger than the harder, unripe fruits.