Papaya problems

[meancat]

I just ate my first fresh papaya and don't think it was ripe. What color is it supposed to be when ripe? It was kinda soft --like a ripe mango--but it really didn't have a good flavor at all. Also, do I just peel the skin or cut it off thickly, like a cantaloupe?

thanks

[crystalmoon]

Hi there...I was kinda shocked when I ate my first papaya cos I guess I was expecting something more like a mango & it sure wasnt like that at all. If it was softish it was probably ripe. when i have one now I blend it into a puree & leave it in the fridge overnight...it gets thicker...I make a crumble topping for it from nuts & dried fruits....its much nicer than eating it just straight as a fruit. HTH

[sport]

It is a bit of an acquired taste I think.
When I first started eating papaya I only used it in smoothies or fruit salads. It was only in the past year that I realised how much I now liked it on it's own. Now I can sit down and have a papaya meal.
The color is not an indication of the ripeness. You have to go on the feel. I like them very ripe.
I do not recall ever having one go bad on me. You can leave them for ages. Eventually they will start to go a bit black at the top but you just cut that bit off and the rest is still yummy.
When you cut it the flesh should be so soft that it would just squash if you press the spoon on it.
I cut it in 2 (lengthwise), scoop the seeds out, swallow about 6 of the seeds (parasite clense) and then use a spoon to eat.

[Antari]

Thanks for that crystalmoon. I really don't like papaya and I mix it in with my big bowl of fresh fruit that I keep in the fridge all the time. I will try your recipe and see if I like it any more.

I didn't think of swallowing some of the seeds, sound like a good idea too!

[rawzeit]

I always peel the papaya. The riper it is, the softer its inside. But you can still eat it when the inside is crunchy. The taste is slightly bitter, but nice. The supermarket here sells a fresh papaya-mango-pineapple salad and that's a good combination. :)

[subbacultcha]

My papayas are orangy pink when ripe. I always wait until the day before the best before date to eat them so they're nice and ripe.. I cut them in half and scoop out all the seeds and chuck them then either eat the flesh with a spoon or chuck it in a smoothie or fruit pudding. Some people find them bland but I like their flavour, kind of subtle, and a bit like melon.

[meancat]

Sounds like my papaya was ripe after all. I guess I was expecting a stronger, sweeter flavor. I will put in my smoothies and other dishes and it will be fine.

Sport, I'm intrigued by your eating the seeds for a parasite cleanse. Do you eat them whole? Is a few enough? If I ate them all, would I be sprouting papaya trees from my butt? :) Or would that many make me sick?

Thanks for all the tips everyone!

[Dakini]

I always add fresh lemon or lime juice to the inside of a fresh papaya, it makes it taste more like a papaya!

[sport]

Sport, I'm intrigued by your eating the seeds for a parasite cleanse. Do you eat them whole? Is a few enough? If I ate them all, would I be sprouting papaya trees from my butt? :) Or would that many make me sick?

Thanks for all the tips everyone!

No. Do not eat them all. Swallow them whole and about 6 per day is the recommended amount.

[Dj 247]

I ate my first papaya last week. Yuck! It is not for me. At first it was not that bad, but the more I ate the more I couldn't stand it. Just my opinion. I might try it again some day who knows.

[LearningDaily]

I do not like fresh papaya, it's too bland and has an odd flavor. However, it is excellent frozen and in green smoothies!

[lily]

One really nice way to eat papaya -- a way that I love, anyway -- is to cut it into long thin slices and arrange it on a plate alternating with slices of perfectly ripe pear (like a comice or conference) and avocado -- all skinned before slicing, of course.

I call this 'Three Pear Salad' and the combination of the different flavours and textures is so good. Some watercress is nice with it, to make it more of a savoury salad and a splash of lemony dressing, if you like...

lily

[ron4540]

I like papaya, but once got very sick from eating the seeds. I know that some people eat the seeds. But they may not be for everybody.

p.s. I did chew & eat the seeds. I see that "sport" above says to swallow them instead. Maybe that was my error.

[sport]

When I think of how much I like papayas right now I would be tempted to say that I can not understand how someone may not like them but then I remember that I did not like them myself and only ate them when added to something else.
I would advise everyone who does not like them, to continue to add them in where ever they can and they will grow on you. They certainly had that effect on me.
The more variety we have in our diet the better and they are one of the better fruits.

[themindless]

does anybody else eat papaya and then smell it when they go to the bathroom...

[rawgreenyogini]

I've eaten my share of papayas over the years and each papaya does taste different.

I will say, the ones from Hawaii are the best. I wait until the green outer skin turns almost all yellow...then I cut them in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and scrape out the flesh down to the skin. When they are perfectly ripe, the flesh scoops out like and avocado. Very soft. The flesh is also very sweet when fully ripe.

I have some papaya right now from South America...they are not as tasty. Those I like to only use in my green smoothies every morning along with frozen bananas and spinach.

I guess I would tell you to experiment if you can with the different papayas that come in to your grocery store. You will probably find one that hits your taste buds.

:D

[Blazin'Jane]

I LOVE papaya! I eat 2 or 3 a week. I like them cut up with other fruit. I also sometimes make a pudding in the fp with papaya and avocado ---yummy! I like them a little on the soft, ripe side, so they're not too crunchy, (unripe), but recently I read in some raw foodist book that they are actually healthier on the unripe side.
I usually peal mine and then slice it, but on Alissa's DVD, she scoops the meat out with a soup spoon to blend it with banana or something else in the blender or fp.
Papain is a primary nutrient in papaya and is good for all sorts of things. Brigitte Mars, in RAWSOME, says "The enzyme papain is found in highest concentrations in the milky juice of the unripe papaya -- little of it occurs in the ripe fruit. Papain is used to treat allergies, asthma, indigestion, chronic diarrhea, digestive disorcders, gluten intolerance, hay feve, sports injuries, and weak lungs, and is dabbed topically on warts. Papain powder is applied t bee stings to reduce pain and inflammation, and is also used as a tooth and gum cleanser."
So there you have it! ;)

[eachpeachpearplum]

The Papayas I get need a lot of ripening - Costco. The generally unknown thing about both papaya and mangos is that they are sometimes at their best when visually REALLY GROSS with dark spots and sometimes mold. Cut into a papaya that looks like road kill on the outside and the inside is pristine and succulant.

I think this way of having them is because they are picked so green to get over here. I mean the ones I had in Hawaii were perfect w/o having to wait till the outside looked like a lab experiment. But note I have had them here and not had to wait until they became gross.

Papaya: the riper/softer the better taste but they can also be eaten firm with a more gentle taste

BTW, I hated them when I was a kid and now cannot get enough!

[Carolyn]

I positively LOVE papayas! It's gotten to where the guys at the produce stand that I go to pull out the case of papayas for me to go thru as soon as I show up! :)

A really simple soup that I've found (and is really good) is a papaya-lime soup. Put the papaya, the juice from one lime and a dash of ceyenne pepper into the blender and blend. It's great!

Not to be confused with putting the lime in the coconut ...

:D

[mmmichelle]

I cut open a papaya today and many of the seeds had sprouted. I don't usually eat papaya and don't really like it so I can't tell if it is good or not. It smells kind of yucky but I remember it smelling kind of bad the last time I ate it so I don't know. I am only eating it because I have an upset stomach and I want the good enzymes. I don' t want to eat it if it is bad though.

Thanks so much.

[GlimR]

Yup...an aquired taste...when I first had one it tasted like someone's old socks to me...not that I've ever eaten old socks mind you!!:p Now I love it and eat it plain...it's great frozen and added to smoothie...makes them very smooth and creamy. They are ready when they look pretty ugly...I buy the big mexican ones.

[maui_butterfly]

papayas in Hawaii are amazing... i had one on the mainland and it was nasty. :p

many people who do not care for ripe papaya like green (unripe) papaya salads... a la:

shredded green papaya (a cheese grater works well)
lime juice
agave
1 clove garlic
flax oil
2 chili peppers
green beans
cherry tomatoes
chopped nuts (i like cashews)
miso (i know, i know... i don't care!)
~can also use a bit of tamarind if you want to get fancy with it...

green cabbage
thai basil

in thailand, green papaya salad is made using a clay mortar, wooden pestle and a spatula. smash a clove of garlic first. then add green beans and halved cherry tomatoes. pound a few times just to bruise the beans and get the juice out of the tomatoes. add chili peppers and crush them just enough to release the hotness, unless you like your salad really hot. add the green papaya, nuts, oil, miso, lime juice, tamarind, and agave. use the pestle to push the mixture up in the mortar and the spatula to push it down so that the mixture is mixed well.

serve on a bed of slivered green cabbage. top with chopped thai basil. consume! sometimes i splash with acv, too. sometimes a little sea salt. whatever works...

[Frugal Raw]

Not to be gross, but the smell of the green papayas with the orangey flesh reminds me of bile. It puts me off everytime...does it smell like this to anyone else?

I had one once that was small, yellow skinned and golden fleshed and it was wonderful - haven't seen one since.

I once knew a man from Florida who loved the big green ones, and would squeeze a lime over it then eat the whole thing with a spoon!

[sport]

I once knew a man from Florida who loved the big green ones, and would squeeze a lime over it then eat the whole thing with a spoon!

For the past couple of weeks this has been my breakfast every day but without the lime. I love it and am looking forward to breakfast tomorrow. That big juicy papaya is already sitting on the table calling me.