The fruit of the papaya plant grows quickly and its flesh can be as yellow as the sun or as red as fire, yet always brimming with vital energy. For its sweetness, Christopher Columbus called it the fruit of angels.
In terms of vital ingredients, this fruit is a truly explosive blend. Its flesh contains, in addition to countless enzymes, a large quantity of beta-carotene, pro-vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K and several B-group vitamins, mineral salts such as potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, as well as bioflavonoids, pectin, volatile oils and tannins.
The fruits of the papaya plant can be oval or rounded, while others have a more elongated shape resembling a large pear. The unripe fruit is hard, green in colour and rich in white latex but, compared to the ripe fruit, it is exceptionally rich in enzymes such as cysteine proteinase — an enzyme that our body uses to digest proteins — as well as chymopapain and papaya lysozyme, enzymes that also serve the fruit as a defence against parasites during the ripening process.
But how should it be consumed, and what are the recipes for preserving the active compounds intact so as to benefit from them fully? Eaten as it is, at peak ripeness, it has a sweet and pleasant flavour, but it can also be used to make drinks in combination with other fruits.
For breakfast or as a snack: papaya and pear juice, papaya and pineapple, papaya and orange, papaya and pomegranate for an antioxidant boost, or blended with banana and peach for a potassium-rich drink. Optionally, to make the smoothie more substantial, add dates or raisins, and flavour with vanilla to taste. As a side dish, green papaya makes meat more tender and digestible. Deseeded, it can be added to meat during cooking as well, since used in this way it is an excellent complement to fish dishes and to those rich in proteins and fats that are difficult to digest.
In many recipes, the flesh is used to make sauces with the addition of lemon, sweet pepper and honey, or, for those who prefer a spicy version, ground chilli and herbs to taste.
Other sweet sauces with apple, banana and cinnamon are suggested for a healthy breakfast, ideal for children too. In this case as well, the blended sauce can be enriched with dried fruit. In traditional Indian cuisine, the flowers are steamed in milk and butter to stimulate the appetite of children who are listless, weak and uninterested in food. In Ayurveda, papaya is also recommended for keeping the Vata and Pitta constitutional types in balance. Pieces of candied papaya make a pleasant addition to muesli at breakfast or can be enjoyed as a hunger-busting snack.
In traditional cooking you can add it to your salads — vegetable or seafood — use it in the preparation of cake creams that will be pleasant and far more digestible, serve it fresh in slices over a tart, add it to your fruit salads or use it to make jams. It is excellent for making cakes or sweet bread, similar to those made with bananas — the famous banana bread — or apricots. In many baking recipes it is used as a purée or in small pieces with the addition of walnuts, figs and spices. And for the warm season, do not miss the sorbet made by mixing ripe papaya flesh with water, cane sugar and lemon before placing it in the freezer to set. Enjoy it plain or accompanied by fresh seasonal fruit.
A broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory, papaya is considered a good alkalising agent, capable of restoring the body's acid-base balance, and is recommended in cases of digestive problems, acidity or reflux. An excellent antioxidant, it is used to prevent cardiovascular disease and arteriosclerosis; it is useful as a booster of the immune system and an important support in more serious conditions such as cancer and Parkinson's disease. Who could forget the administration by Luc Montagnier — Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2008 — to Pope John Paul II? The pontiff was able to sustain himself for a long period with papaya-based supplements prescribed by the famous French physician.
Papaya also has a beneficial effect on our endocrine and exocrine glands. Excellent results have been evaluated on the thymus, ovaries, corpus luteum, spleen, lymphatic glands, liver and adrenal glands. Interesting positive effects have also been observed in cases of fungal infections, intestinal parasitosis and chronic fatigue.
Several studies have shown that papaya flesh is a useful intestinal aid both in cases of constipation and for the normalisation of overly loose stools — it simply requires adjusting the dosage. It is also a valuable help in cases of irritable bowel, with an improvement in pain and bloating. In cases where high concentrations of papaya are needed, consuming it as a food may not be sufficient. Excellent supplements are therefore available on the market to meet this need.
The papaya flower is also used in the preparation of the Australian essence "Paw-paw", an ideal remedy for when a person is struggling to make the major decisions of their life, bestowing concentration and clarity of thought, and for students constantly engaged in absorbing and integrating new knowledge.
The only precaution concerns the use of the seeds. In some countries they are used as a contraceptive and women chew them for this purpose. Caution is advised, however, because consuming the seeds or the unripe papaya fruit during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, and some recent studies suggest that excessive consumption of the seeds can cause infertility.