Name: Dried papaya — papaya (Carica papaya) cut into cubes or strips and dried, usually sweetened and often brightly coloured. It is often sold as “candied papaya.” The fresh fruit is described under Tropical Fruits.
Description
Papaya is native to Central America and southern Mexico and was carried across the tropics after European contact. Because the ripe fruit is soft and highly perishable, drying and candying have been used to preserve it. Dried papaya is mostly produced in Southeast Asia, India and Central America.
Commercial dried papaya is usually infused with sugar syrup before drying, which gives it a chewy, sticky, sweet taste, and sometimes with added colours. Plain, unsweetened dried papaya is available but is harder to find, and has a more muted, earthy flavour.
Main nutrition value
Dried papaya provides concentrated sugars, plus some fibre, vitamin A (from carotenoids) and a little vitamin C, which is reduced by drying.
How best to be consumed
Dried papaya is often heavily sweetened, so label-reading matters.
- Choose unsweetened dried papaya if you can find it, or read the label for added sugar.
- Eat a few pieces as a snack, with nuts.
- Chop into muesli, trail mix, yoghurt and baking.
- Rehydrate in hot water for use in chutneys and desserts.
- Store in an airtight container away from heat.
Overconsumption could cause…
Drying removes water but leaves the sugar, so dried fruit is far more concentrated in sugar and energy than the fresh fruit.
- High added sugar and calories, since most dried papaya is candied.
- Artificial colours or sulphites, which can bother sensitive people.
- Digestive upset from a large amount of concentrated sugar.
- Tooth decay from sticky, sugary pieces.
Wikipedia — Papaya, used for origin and general background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaya Wikipedia — Dried fruit, used for general background on drying and storing fruit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dried_fruit
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