Ecuador’s Common Fruit!

Papaya, which is also found in the subtropics, is probably the most common fruit on the Ecuadorian table.

Although some people may mistakenly think that it is a melon, it does not grow on the vine. Instead, it grows in clumps atop palm trees. Papayas vary in size, with the large ones weighing seven pounds or more.

Externally, the color of this fruit is deep green, gradually turning yellow in spots as it ripens. Inside, the pulp is dark yellow or sometimes bright pink or red. Unlike most other fruits, papaya has an internal cavity, in which many small black seeds adhere to the pulp, but are easily scraped off.

The meat is tender and juicy and very delicious, unless you have bad meat with a strong and rather unpleasant taste. The little ones usually have a strong flavor; the bigger the better.

The people of this country eat a lot of papaya, not only for fruit, but also for health reasons. In the tropics, the body needs lots of fluids to stay healthy and strong, and papaya will provide you with that needed fluid in a very pure and delicious way. It is also a great help for the digestive system. This can be easily demonstrated by supplementing a large meal with a slice or two of papaya, thus avoiding the usual discomfort we experience after eating a lot of rich foods. There is also a good medical explanation for this. Nutritional authorities have found that papaya is rich in an enzyme called "papain," which helps digest protein.

In this regard, a friend of ours described how she uses this property of papaya in another way. Soak the meat in papaya juice for a few hours, preferably overnight, and think it's a great tenderizer. This is also due to the enzyme present in this tropical fruit.