Papaya

Vietnamese papaya

Vietnamese "đu đủ" is a big, cylinder-shaped fruit and has a green color when not ripen. The fruit can be eaten fresh when it becomes as soft as an avocado. The skin by then turns to a variety of orange, covering the inside reddish flesh and numerous small black seeds.

Papaya plays a vital role in Southern Vietnam's life. With the pronunciation close to the word sufficient, this fruit is displayed in Tet holiday, hoping for a better and happy upcoming year.

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How to eat papaya

Ripe papaya is often eaten raw after peeling off the coat and removing all the black seeds. You should not eat the papaya seeds due to their countable amount of poison, which will disturb your pulse and nerve system.

Adding papaya, sugar, milk, and other fruits like banana, avocado, pineapple into the blender, you can also make a nice smoothie drink.

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Where is papaya grown in Vietnam

Papaya is grown mostly in the Southern part of Vietnam, Soc Trang, Vinh Long, Dong Thap, and other Westside cities. It is grown all year round, but the most delicious and sweet papaya is on the market around Tet holiday.

For those who happen to like this sweet soft fruit, you can come to big cities' supermarkets or street stalls in the countryside to pick out some ripe ones with the price of 20.000 - 25.000 VND/kg.

What are the benefits of papaya

Papaya has a higher amount of beta-carotene compared to other fruits. This compound can turn into vitamin A when entering the body, preventing cancer and brightening eyes.

The fruit is also rich in vitamins and essential nutrients that can benefit blood regulation, increase the body's immune system, and rejuvenate the skin. It is good for your health when eaten both in the summer and winter. However, over and continuously consume papaya can lead to jaundice and high blood sugar.

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People tend to put ripe papaya in the stew dish to make the meat or bones soften quickly and easy to digest.

Food made from papaya

Vietnamese people sometimes use the green papaya for cooking dishes such as beef ribs or chicken bones stew, green papaya jam, green salad, stir-fried chicken hearts, and dry beef salad.

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The papaya flower buds are also used by the Muong ethnic group to create meals with dishes like papaya flower salad with wild eggplant, papaya flower boiled with rotten sauce, stir-fried beef with papaya flower. Still, the most delicious and most popular dish is garlic fried papaya flower. There is a bitter taste in the mouth when eaten.