It is difficult to classify the tropical papaya as a fruit or vegetable. After all, the fruit, which tastes very sweet when fully ripe, can also be prepared and eaten like a vegetable when unripe.
Different harvest times and types of use
The exact time of harvest does not yet decide whether it is used as a fruit or vegetable, since papayas can still ripen even after they have been picked from the plant when they are unripe. The following products are made from unripe papayas in countries such as Thailand and Laos:
- chutneys
- salsa
- curries
In Laos, som tam, made from unripe papayas, sticky rice and crabs marinated in fish sauce, is even the official national dish. Sweet fruits, on the other hand, are eaten like fruit in many countries. Their sweet taste can be intensified by adding sugar, lemon juice and ginger.
tips and tricks
When buying fruit that is not fully ripe, choose specimens with yellow spots or stripes. Only these are sufficiently advanced in their maturation process to develop their maximum flavor during the post-ripening process.