FOOD NEWS
The Easy Way To Tell When Your Papaya Is Ripe
By Kaliga Rice
Apart from being a repository of several health benefits, papaya is a versatile fruit that not only tastes delicious on its own but also works well in several dishes, like fruit salads and papaya salsa. Regardless of how you eat your papaya, make sure you check the fruit’s color to gauge its ripeness when buying one.
Papayas sold at supermarkets typically have green skins—which indicate the fruits are not ripe yet—but papayas that are completely yellow are the ones that are just ripe enough to be consumed. The firmness of a papaya can also help determine if it’s ripe; green papayas, for example, are firm, whereas yellow papayas are usually slightly soft.
However, if they are overripe, yellow papayas can become extremely soft, emit an excessively sweet aroma, and lose their sweet, juicy flavor, so you should keep an eye on them for the best flavor. Depending on how green they are when you buy them, papayas generally ripen within one to three days.