Papaya Carica papaya The papaya originated in the Americas, probably Brazil and was cultivated well before the arrival of the Europeans. Papaya fruit is botanically a large berry from a tropical, palm-like, herbaceous plant. It can be oblong or round, smooth or ridged, and has pinky-orange flesh which surrounds a mass of shiny black seeds. The Spanish and Portuguese took it to the West Indies and by 1538 it had arrived in the East Indies via the Philippines. By 1800 it was being grown in nearly all the tropical regions of the world, its original Carib Indian name ababai converted to papaya along the way. The fruit is often confused with Asimina triloba, the pawpaw, which is the fruit of another North American tree, also referred to as Custard apple. The sweet, juicy, fruit tastes a little like aromatic melon and is extremely nutritious. Like all orange coloured fruits and vegetables, papaya is a good source of beta-carotene, providing one day’s recommended intake, and 5 times that provided by an orange. Beta-carotene, the vegetable form of vitamin A is an antioxidant which helps to prevent damage by free radicals that can lead to the formation of certain cancers. One papaya also contains almost three times the RDA for vitamin C for an adult non-smoker, and the fruit is an excellent source of fibre and potassium, which help to regulate bowel function and normal heart function respectively. The juice of the papaya is a well established cure for indigestion, it has been found to contain an enzyme called papain, similar to the pepsin which is produced by the human body to break down protein. The fig-shaped leaves also contain this substance and traditional uses for them include wrapping them around meats as a tenderiser and chewing them to aid digestion and to prevent intestinal worms. Papain is also commonly used in industrial food preparation as a meat tenderiser. Medicinally, papain has been found to have pain killing qualities and is used in spinal injections to ease the pain accompanying a slipped disc, and an ointment containing papain is used to prevent rough skin forming around wounds. 100g of raw papaya provides 42 kcalories of energy, and contains carbohydrate, sodium, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and iron.