Go green for National Papaya Month
It began when I Googled “popular papaya recipes.” September, it turns out, is National Papaya Month.
Up top, I got a familiar-looking selection of links but slightly down-page, in that “People also ask … ” section, a question caught my eye: Why does papaya taste like vomit?
I blinked. Vomit? That’s pretty harsh, I thought.
I took a snip and showed it to the fine folks of the Orlando Sentinel’s Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group. Some people were shocked, like me, but a surprising number actually related to it.
Some compared it to the whole cilantro/soap thing — which a member pointed out can be due to genetics. Another, a South American, opined that it was a cultural thing. He grew up with it and many people here do not. I’m from Brooklyn, not Brazil, and I like papaya just fine. Yeah, it’s got a little funk to it, but it’s unique. Not unpleasant. Makes a nice batido. Loads of nutrition. But plenty of people balked, citing that icky smell and/or taste. Then a pro chef hopped in and said it was enzymatic. So, I looked it up.
Sure enough, papaya contains a substance called papain, which is very similar to our own digestive enzymes. It’s sometimes used to tenderize meat (makes sense) and is used in supplements to treat digestive issues, among other health problems. And yes, it turns out that many people find it unpleasant.
“That’s a fact. Papaya is a mooch fruit that’s only success is due to the mighty lime. Don’t @ me, haters,” one LEO member wrote.
No one did. We’re a peaceful bunch on the LEO page. While I knew lime was often squeezed on fresh papaya, I figured it was
because lime is refreshing and brings out the fruit’s natural sweetness.
“Yes, in Southeast Asia, this is what we do,” says Darvione Manikhong, who co-owns Dali’s Thai Lao Café with her husband and parents. “But in Thailand and Laos, it is most often eaten green, before it ripens, as papaya salad.”
Indeed, it’s a brilliant way that those who abhor the deep, orange-pink papaya’s scent or flavor when it’s turned soft and sweet might finally find favor with this apparently controversial fruit.
“Papaya salad is a staple in both countries,” says Manikhong, whose mother — Dali’s head chef Damdy Manikhong — is from Thailand. Her father, La Manikhong, is from Laos. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t eat green papaya salad in either country. So many people have papaya trees in their gardens. It’s very, very common.”
And, she notes, very versatile.
“The wonderful thing about papaya salad is you season it entirely to your preference: sweet, sour or a balance of both. You can make it spicy or not,” says Darvione. “Thai people will add in peanuts and tomatoes. They also tend to make it sweeter. In Laos, it leans sour and you might
find more umami flavor — with fish sauce or shrimp paste. Some people add dried shrimp or small, baby crabs.”
But I don’t want to scare you. None of this is mandatory.
The base for either — or any version you might throw together — is sugar, lime juice and julienned papaya. You can pick up a peeler/shredder for $8 on Amazon. Or pick one up for about the same at Bed, Bath & Beyond, says Darvione.
Green papaya, interest
ingly, is touted as having even more beneficial enzymes than its late-game ripe counterpart. And it doesn’t carry that ripepapaya funk. Papain is used to treat a range of conditions for digestive issues, skin conditions including psoriasis and as an antiinflammatory. Some folks even take it in supplements.
I enjoy it because it’s crunchy, which ripe papaya is not.
“It pairs beautifully with grilled chicken, steak or
fish,” says Darvione, “and is also served to complement many different vegetables, most commonly cabbage.”
She, too, was a tad per
plexed about the Google question.
“I mean, it’s a little fragrant,” she said, laughing. “But it’s not like it’s durian!”
It certainly isn’t, though that gives me an idea for another aromatic column.
In the meantime, enjoy this funk-free recipe or head to Sanford and let Darvione’s mom make you
some, along with a host of phenomenal Lao and Thai takeout.
Want to reach out? Find me on Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. Join the conversation at the Orlando Sentinel’s new Facebook forum, Let’s Eat, Orlando.