About Papayas

• Pear-shaped, green, yellow or orange sub-tropical fruit
• The smooth, thin skin covers naturally-sweet pulpy, pink flesh with a cluster of black seeds in the centre
• Papayas taste a bit like melons and are rich in vitamin C
• World production now exceeds 5 million tons

Selecting

The most common variety on European supermarket shelves is the Solo (from the smaller Hawaiian papaya type). Soft to the touch when ripe.

Papayas are easily perishable and cannot stand temperatures below 7°C. DOLE Papayas are harvested almost ripe and immediately shipped to Europe in temperature-controlled containers (10°C to 13°C).

Storing

You can ripen a papaya at room temperature for up to 5 days and store ripe fruit in your refrigerator for a week.

Eating

Because the seeds are bitter, Papaya is best eaten by splitting the fruit, spooning out the seeds and then slicing the soft, juicy flesh. Its cool bland taste goes well with spicy food.

Availability

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

Growing regions

Brazil, Thailand, Mexico, West Africa, Hawaii and India.