Carica Papaya (Papaya)

Description

The papaya (Carica papaya) is a plant in the family Caricaceae. The plant is closely related to the mountain papaya (Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis).

In Belgium and the Netherlands, the papaya is imported from Central America, Asia, Central and South Africa. There is little to no seasons in the supply of the papaya; The fruit is for sale all year round.

The papaya is the fruit of a melon tree and is therefore called “tree melon”. The fruits grow on the trunk of the tree. The papaya tree is native to Mexico. The

The fruit is round to oval-shaped, about 20 cm long. The weight of a papaya sold in Belgium can vary from 300-500 g, although the fruit can weigh up to 6 kg. A ripe papaya has salmon-pink to yellow-orange flesh, smells slightly like apricots, is buttery soft, and tastes sweet and melony. The flesh of the papaya does not contain fruit acids, resulting in a very sweet taste.

The fruits must be harvested when the ripening process has just begun, and papayas that are picked too early can no longer ripen.