Description
Papaya is an herbaceous plant which belongs to the family Caricaceae and was originated in Central America and also cultivated in tropical areas of the world for its sweet and large melon like fruits. It is one of the favorites of fruit lovers for its nutritional, digestive, and medicinal properties. It probably thought to have originated in the Central Americas. Papaya tree bears many spherical or pear-shaped fruits clumped near its top end of the trunk. They come in variety of sizes ranging from 6-20 inches in length and 4-12 inches in diameter. An average-sized papaya weighs about a pound. The fruit is said to ripen when it yeilds to gentle thumb pressure, and its skin turned amber to orange hue. Inside, the fruit features numerous black pepper corn like seeds, encased in a mucin coat, at its hollow central cavity as in melons. The flesh is orange in color with either yellow or pink hues, soft in consistency and has deliciously sweet, musky taste with rich flavor. Papaya is loaded with nutrients and could be found throughout the year. It is rich in antioxidants Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E, potassium, magnesium and minerals, fiber, folate and panthotenic acid.
