Thanks again, Eatocracy, for letting the world know about interesting-yet-obscure food holidays. June, it turns out, is National Papaya Month.
Papaya is called pawpaw in South Africa, and can be called papaw and tree melon in other places. The fruit -- which has green skin, yellow orange flesh, and black seeds -- grows on trees, starting as a white flower. It grows in hot climates, like Mexico, Belize, and Hawaii. In 1990, the papaya ringspot virus almost destroyed Hawaii's entire papaya industry, but there are now genetically modified varieties of the fruit, called SunUp and Rainbow, which are resistant to the ringspot virus.
The fruit is rich in nutrients like vitamin C, B vitamins, and dietary fiber. You can eat a papaya raw, with or without the skin. You can also eat the seeds. Dried papaya is commonly sold, and the fuit can also be cooked. In fact, in some parts of Asia it is steamed and eaten like spinich. It is an ingrediant in stews, salads, curries.
It can be taken in pill form to help alleviate stomach discomfort, and the powder form of papaya is often used as a meat tenderizer.
To celebrate National Papaya Month, pick some up and eat it in whatever way you like.
You can also watch the Disney cartoon The Jungle Book (italicize), which mentions the fruit in Baloo's song "The Bare Necessities."
