I was really excited to try my papaya. It’s hard to imagine a tropical fruit tasting bad. Then again, my mangosteens and pomelo, while not tasting bad, did I think, misrepresent their fresh versions. Still, I had high hopes for my papaya, even though it was labeled as a Hawaiian papaya and therefore had travelled quite some distance from its tree. I wasn’t sure whether it was ripe, but found conflicting advice on the internet. Apparently a papaya is ripe it’s mostly yellow and it gives slightly to pressure. Mine only had one big yellow patch, but definitely gave when I squeezed it. So, mostly in the dark I decided to give in to my curiosity and just eat it. I’m fairly sure I have had drinks that contain papaya, but never without other fruits, so even if the flavors were real and not synthesized, I still couldn’t say what a papaya tasted like alone.
I found multiple websites raving about the benefits of eating papayas and both described the flavor in the same adoring tone (verbatim): “Deliciously sweet with musky undertones and a soft, butter-like consistency.1, 2.” Both papaya fan sites also recall that Columbus was purported to have called papaya the fruit of angels.
Columbus’s enthusiasm lives on in these sites which claim papaya provides countless health benefits, promoting a healthy heart, digestive and immune systems, to name a few1. With so much strong endorsement, how could I not be excited?
When I halved my papaya, it revealed a bright, orange flesh – similar in color to cantaloupe. I scooped out the little black seeds. Considering how easy it was to remove the seeds and excess pulp with a spoon makes me think I got the ripeness just about right. I peeled one half a cut myself a chunk. Like the other out-of-season fruits I’ve tried for this project, my papaya didn’t live up to its hype. I keep reinforcing the idea that a fruit really can’t demonstrate its full gastronomic potential after having travelled thousands of miles. Once again, I am left with a strong desire to taste the fresh fruit so I can make a valid comparison.
No comments:
Post a Comment