Papaya

Carica papayaAlso called papaw and pawpaw

Papaya is a fruit that can be soft when raw or crunchy and firm. Cooks eat it raw, boil or simmer it, blend it into a paste, or pickle and preserve it.

Plant-based
Gluten-free
No listed allergens

About the plain ingredient, not packaged products; general information, not medical advice. Details

Category: Fruit
Part used: Fruit
Family: Caricaceae
Texture: Soft, crunchy, firm
Cooked most in: Asia
Top country: Indonesia
Dishes: 9 in the catalogue
Energy: 43 kcal per 100 g

Photo: ArionStar · CC0 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons

In the kitchen

How to use papaya

Typical ways to cook or use it

Boil simmer
Paste blend
Pickle
Preserve
Raw

Preparing it

For ripe papaya, remove the skin and seeds before eating. For atchara, cut unripe or nearly ripe fruit into julienne strips.

Cooking with it

Papaya can prevent gelatin-based dishes from setting.

Flavour

Taste and texture

Texture, raw

Soft

Texture

Crunchy
Firm

Shopping

Choosing and storing papaya

Choosing a good one

For ripe fruit, look for amber-to-orange skin and a soft feel.

Nutrition

What 100 g of papaya holds

Per 100 g, raw. Averages from USDA; real values vary by variety, season and growing conditions.

Protein 4%Fat 2%Carbohydrate 94%of the macronutrients by weight

Nutrition per 100 g of papaya, raw
Energy	43 kcal · 179 kJ
Protein	0.47 g
Fat	0.26 g
of which saturated	0.08 g
Carbohydrate	11 g
of which sugars	7.8 g
Fibre	1.7 g
Sodium	8 mg
Cholesterol	0 mg

Nutrition per 100 g of papaya, raw: minerals and vitamins
Potassium	182 mg
Calcium	20 mg
Iron	0.25 mg
Magnesium	21 mg
Zinc	0.08 mg
Vitamin C	61 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)	47 µg
Folate	37 µg

Canned

Protein 1%Fat 1%Carbohydrate 98%of the macronutrients by weight

Nutrition per 100 g of papaya, canned
Energy	57 kcal · 238 kJ
Protein	0.17 g
Fat	0.15 g
of which saturated	0.05 g
Carbohydrate	15 g
of which sugars	14 g
Fibre	0.6 g
Sodium	5 mg
Cholesterol	0 mg

Nutrition per 100 g of papaya, canned: minerals and vitamins
Potassium	31 mg
Calcium	10 mg
Iron	0.34 mg
Magnesium	3 mg
Zinc	0.15 mg
Vitamin C	3 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)	18 µg
Folate	2 µg

Source: USDA FoodData Central (foods 169926, 169107), public domain. Minerals and vitamins are listed only where USDA measured a non-zero amount.

Around the world

Where papaya is cooked

9 dishes in the catalogue use papaya. Here is where they come from.

Dishes by continent

Asia9

Countries whose dishes use it most

Counts are catalogued dishes from each country that list papaya among their ingredients.

Origins

Native to: Mexico, Central America
First cultivated: in Mexico and Central America

The 1500s
Spaniards brought papaya to the Old World in the 1500s.
1839 · Samoa and Tonga
Papaya arrived in Samoa from Tonga in 1839.

On the table

Dishes made with papaya

8 of the 9 catalogued dishes that use it, spread across the countries they come from.

Asinan Bogor
Indonesia
Bok l'hong
Cambodia
Rujak kuah pindang
Indonesia
Tetal
Indonesia
Anyang
Indonesia
Buntil
Indonesia
Es buah
Indonesia
Sambal pepaya
Indonesia

Dish lists come from Wikidata; a dish counts when its recorded ingredients include papaya.

Good to know

Diet and allergens: papaya in detail

These notes describe the plain ingredient. Packaged and prepared products vary, so read the label; for allergies and medical diets ask a doctor or dietitian.

Allergens: None of the 15 listed allergens foundChecked and not found: soy, eggs, fish, milk, lupin, wheat, celery, sesame, mustard, peanuts, molluscs, sulphites, tree nuts, crustaceans, gluten cereals.
Animal origin: No animal ingredients foundChecked and not found: egg, fish, meat, dairy, honey, insect, gelatin, poultry, bone char, shellfish, other animal, animal fining, animal rennet.
Gluten: None
Alcohol: None
Caffeine: None
Pork: None