Eating Papaya!

Oval to nearly round in shape, the fruit may be eaten green or ripened.  The inner flesh of the green fruit is prized as an addition to fresh or stir-fried salads.  In Thailand, green papaya salad is called Som Tom and is eaten as a snack or with marinated grilled beef and chicken. 

As the fruit ripens, it becomes yellow and the thick wall of succulent flesh becomes aromatic, juicy, sweetish and somewhat like a cantaloupe in flavor.  The flesh of ripe papayas are commonly enjoyed fresh, either peeled, seeded, and cut into wedges.  It may also be cubed or shaped into balls for an ice-cream topping or for fruit salad with a spritz of lime or lemon.  Papaya juice and nectar can be made from peeled or unpeeled fruit.

Attached lightly to the inside fleshy wall are usually numerous small, black seeds which are not eaten.