Tropical Papaya Paradise
By Michelle Beadle Holder
Do you wish you could be on a tropical island right now? With COVID-19, there’s no traveling. But that doesn’t mean you can’t experience paradise. Join me in tasting a little piece of tropical paradise with papaya.
Papaya: A Taste of Tropical Paradise
Papaya is a tropical fruit that I grew up eating as a child in Jamaica. In fact, we had a tree growing in our backyard. I think my mom planted it but it could have self-seeded with the help of a bird.
A Papaya tree with green fruits.
You can only imagine how excited I was to see papaya in a local supermarket. There I was, walking down the produce aisles when I spotted some ripe papayas. They were neatly packed in the international produce section of the store.
Papayas have many health benefits. Papayas are rich in antioxidant nutrients like vitamins C and K. The fruit is low in calories and high in fiber. They are also good for heart health. Even the American Diabetes Association recommends them.
Papaya in the grocery store aisle. Check the international produce section.
My excitement turned to hesitation because I didn’t want to be disappointed. I had bought other fruits like mangoes which were never quite the same as those in Jamaica. Nothing beats the taste of freshly picked papaya, especially when ripe.
Reminiscing with My Senses
Appearance: While growing up in Jamaica, I would patienly wait for this thin-skinned fruit to ripen on the tree. Over the course of several months, each papaya would change color from dark green to yellow or yellowish orange.
My mom would pick the fruit and then use a knife to cut the papaya in half. I couldn’t wait for her to peel the skin and remove the small black seeds which had a thin transparent membrane.
Smell: As I waited for her to finish, I enjoyed the delicate, sweet, and fragrant aroma of the ripe papaya.
Taste: Papayas from our backyard were sweet when fully ripe. They had a floral flavor. I would devour the fruit quickly and look to my mother for more. What can I say - they were delicious. Plus, I wasn’t that patient back then.
Texture: The flesh of these fruits were thick and juicy and had a soft melting quality as I chewed.
To Buy or Not to Buy??
I decided to try my luck and buy two ripe papayas, since they looked and smelled like the ones I remembered in Jamaica. To my pleasant surprise, the supermarket papayas were great! I also found that when I flavored them with lemon and mint they were even better.
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Michelle is the founder of Food at the Center. She is a medical sociologist and former college professor who was inspired by her mother’s determination to take charge of her health and life through food. Michelle used the framework of mindfulness to teach undergraduates at the University of Maryland. She has also used mindfulness to develop programs to improve the health and well-being of Black or African American women and their loved ones. Michelle was born in Jamaica and currently resides in Columbia, Maryland.