Papaya

About

Unripe papaya, popular in tropical cuisines, has a mild flavor and firm texture well suited to pickles and salads such as som tam. Its cruciferous, vegetal character comes from the seeds, white in unripe fruit with a flavor resembling fresh horseradish, which darken to black as the fruit ripens while keeping a milder version of the same note; black seeds are often compared to watercress, capers, or peppercorns and are sometimes dried for use as a seasoning. Papaya skin turns from green to yellow as it ripens, with flavor peaking around 80% yellow. Elongated varieties with orange or red flesh tend to be sweeter and more fragrant than rounder, yellow-fleshed types, and dried papaya is almost always sweetened.

Pairs well with papaya

• CiLemonThe pairing works similarly to mango and lime, but with the contrast toned down.
• CiOrangePapaya and bitter (Seville) orange combine in the Yucatán dish xec, dressed with orange juice, honey, cayenne and salt over papaya, orange…
• SpCinnamonDulce de mamão in Brazil, or dulce de lechosa in Venezuela, is papaya simmered in syrup and given more flavor with cinnamon or clove,…
• CrCoconutIn Hawaii, blended papaya and coconut are mixed with coconut liqueur and soda water to make a drink that functions as both soup and…
• CiGingerGinger and papaya share strikingly similar aroma descriptors -- light, floral-woody and faintly citrusy -- even though the compounds…
• BeMintPapaya is often compared to melon as another soft, orange-fleshed fruit, though its flavor is milder and sometimes described as insipid by…
• ChCheesePapaya contains benzyl isothiocyanate, a compound that gives it a cabbage-, mustard-, or radish-like edge, especially as it ripens - part…
• GrAvocadoBoth fruits are soft and dense enough to make a thick, smoothie-like blend, and their mild flavors pair well; the combination is commonly…
• CiLimePapaya is often seen as less complex than mango, lacking its refreshing acidity, so lime's sour, floral juice is commonly added to round…
• MuMustardAn 1840 travelogue by Fitch W.
• CrBananaDried banana and papaya pieces, as found in trail mix, retain a flavor notably close to the fresh fruit, making them a popular pairing in…
• GrChilePapaya, with its pink flesh and caviar-like black seeds, can be blended with fresh green chile, sugar syrup and lime for sorbet, or dipped…
• FrTamarindRojak, a fruit salad eaten across Java, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, dresses cut fruit in a sauce that's hot, sweet, sour and salty…
• CrPassion fruitPassion fruit's fragrant, sharp perfume balances papaya's blunter, milder sweetness, a contrast between an intensely aromatic fruit and a…