Eating in China
Generated illustration of ripe papaya cut open with orange flesh and dark seeds.

Papaya

木瓜Mùguā

A tropical fruit with soft, sweet flesh when ripe.

Type
Fruit

A CLOSER LOOK

How to recognize it

Ripe flesh ranges from yellow-orange to reddish orange, around a cavity of dark seeds. This is papaya, not Chinese quince.

In the kitchen

Ripe flesh is eaten fresh or blended into drinks such as papaya milk. Green papaya is used differently, including in salads.

Ripeness changes texture and use: ripe papaya is soft and sweet; unripe fruit is firmer. Cultivars vary in color and shape.

Ask about this ingredient

这道菜里有木瓜吗?

Does this dish contain Papaya?

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