Papaya

The papaya, also known as mamao, tree melon, or pawpaw (not to be confused with the true pawpaw), is the fruit of the tree Carica papaya, in the genus Carica. Originally from southern Mexico, Central America and northern South America, the papaya is now cultivated in most tropical countries.

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It is a small unbranched tree, the single stem growing to 5-10 m tall, with the spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk; the lower trunk is conspicuously scarred with the leaf scars of where older leaves and fruit were borne. The leaves are large, 50-70 cm diameter, deeply palmately lobed with 7 lobes. The flowers are produced in the axils of the leaves, maturing into the large 15-45 cm long, 10-30 cm diameter fruit. The fruit is ripe when it feels soft (like a ripe avocado or a bit softer) and its skin has attained an amber to orange hue.

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Papaya is rich in an enzyme called papain, a protease which is useful in tenderizing meat and other proteins. Its utility is in breaking down the tough meat fibers and has been utilized for thousands of years in its native South America. It is included as a component in powdered meat tenderizers. Papaya enzyme is also marketed in tablet form to remedy digestive problems.

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The black seeds are edible, and have a sharp, spicy taste. They are sometimes ground up and used as a substitute for black pepper.

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Pawpaw: :This page refers to the US-pawpaw in the genus Asimina. In the rest of the world, the name pawpaw is applied to the unrelated tropical fruit papaya (Carica papaya)....

Fruit: In botany, a fruit is the ripened ovary, together with its seeds, of a flowering plant. In cuisine, when discussing fruit as food, the term usually refers to just those plant fruits that are sweet and fleshy, examples of which would include plum, apple and orange. However, a great many common vegeta...

Tree: :This article is about the biological organisms known as trees. For other meanings of the word see tree (disambiguation)....

Papaya related Images and Photos (experimental)

Papaya	Papaya	Papaya Tree	Papaya Passion
Arbor Papaya (Papaya Tree)	Papaya and Pineapple	Papaya Plant from the Island of Tobago in the West Indies	Papau or Caica Papaya
A Fruit Plate of Pineapple Kiwi Papaya Grapes Apple and Watermelon