It has now become a national fruit, since there are crops in Sicily.
Papaya exists in several varieties, which mainly differ in size.
The pulp is orange and is rich in micro-nutrients. The seeds are round, black and shiny: they look like pearls.
A particular encounter of mine with papaya took place in Puerto Rico. Upon arrival at the airport, my friend Vanessa was there to welcome me. She had a packet of papaya, which she had cleaned and diced. She told me:
-Eat it now. It will do you good. It will fix your stomach after this trip–
I believed it, also because Vanessa is a doctor.
She was right. I am sensitive to time zones and also to long flights. It must have been for the papaya, which immediately filled my mouth with the taste of the Tropics, completing – and from inside – my impact with the place with the flavor: the heat, the smells, the palm trees in the wind …
In any case, my stomach was fine. Which doesn’t happen to me: every time I fly over the ocean, I have to deal with a day of various ailments.
Another particular meeting took place in Florence, in Gigliocooking.
Eating the pulp I fell in love with seeds. I was thinking of making a necklace out of them.
But then I documented myself and I decided to use them in the way most suited to my profession: I ate them. Not all of them…. Just a couple to taste them, like they were, a little wet and fresh. They are crunchy, bitter, with a slight hint of mustard.
I made a spice out of it.
I did like this:
Once removed from the pulp, the seeds have been washed and freed from the orange fibers that inevitably remain attached.
I left them on a cloth to drain, then I spread them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and I dried them at a low temperature: 100 degrees – 212 F, for about twenty minutes. By turning them with your hand you can tell when they are dry and you can possibly extend their stay in the oven. It is important, because the presence of water can cause mold.
I ground them with an electric mixer.
I put them in a jar with the date. I can’t set an expiration date, but I wouldn’t use them after a year: bacteria, molds and other micro-subjects are always lurking.
Nothing else.
To use them: like all other spices. I add them to salads, sauces (very good with mayonnaise, especially if homemade), to risotto, to roasts – more than with beef, these flavors are suitable for sweeter meats, such as pork and duck.
I guess your fantasy can do the rest.
Don’t waste papaya seeds: they are a source of vitamins and minerals!
Marcella Ansaldo © 2021