We’ve been continuing our weekly introduction to a new food here in our home, and my daughter has requested we stick with fruit, for the time being. So last week, I found a papaya at the grocery store. It wasn’t nearly ripe – still very firm and green. So I bought one and let it ripen for the week.
When a papaya is ripe, its skin turns golden and should be a little spongy to the touch. It may also smell sweet. Even if it has a few spots of rot, it’s generally still good – you can just cut out the rotten sections. You certainly don’t want to try to eat it before it’s ripe.
So we cut our papaya in half, and scooped out and discarded the seeds. The color was rich and orange, but the smell was a little off-putting. The texture seemed similar to watermelon, so we used a melon baller to scoop out the flesh.
We took our tastes and for the first time, we were all in agreement!
Me: Watery, like a melon, but taste was a little unpleasant. Hard to describe, but it almost tasted dirty. If I were to eat a melon-like fruit, I wouldn’t choose this one.
7-year-old: Ugh. Can I spit it out? This is a “1.”
4-year-old: (smelled only) Ew!
(No, he hasn’t actually tried anything yet. It’s a process.)
Daddy: Gross!
I actually thought maybe I let it ripen too long. But then I looked up information on the internet, and apparently, ours was in perfect eating condition. We just aren’t fans. So…we threw it away. The whole thing. And that will happen sometimes! But the good thing is that we’re expanding our horizons. While papaya isn’t our thing, there are people who love its musky taste. So don’t let our opinions stop you from trying it for yourself!
I’d love to hear about a new food you’ve tried recently!
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The one and only time I had papaya was at a friend’s place and she squeezed some fresh lime juice on it. I thought that was delicious but I can’t vouch for the flavour otherwise.