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.
Is papaya a fruit or vegetable?
Whether papaya is considered a fruit or vegetable depends on its ripeness: unripe papayas are often used like vegetables, e.g. B. in chutneys, salsas or curries, while ripe, sweet papayas are eaten like fruit.
Different harvest times and types of use
The exact time of harvest does not yet determine its use as a fruit or vegetable, as papayas can still ripen even after they have been picked unripe from the plant. The following products are prepared from unripe papayas in countries such as Thailand and Laos:
- Chutneys
- Salsas
- Curries
In Laos, the dish 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 consumed like fruit in many countries. Their sweet taste can be intensified by adding sugar, lemon juice and ginger.
Tips & Tricks
When purchasing fruits that are not fully ripe, select specimens with yellow spots or stripes. Only these are sufficiently advanced in their maturation process to develop their maximum taste when ripening.
