Papaya

Papaya is a tropical fruit originating from Central America, now cultivated throughout the world in tropical regions. Ripe fruit has orange to red flesh, a sweet flavour with a subtle musky note and a juicy texture. Unripe green papaya is popular in Asian cuisine as the base for salads, most notably the Thai salad som tam. It contains the enzyme papain, which aids digestion and acts as a natural meat tenderiser. It is a rich source of vitamin C, beta-carotene and dietary fibre. It is delicious eaten fresh, in smoothies, fruit salads or as a dessert.