Also known as papaya, this tropical fruit is found in many Pacific countries. When properly ripe, its skin and flesh should be a deep golden-yellow; one variety is pinkish-red.
The simplest way to enjoy pawpaw is to peel and halve it, remove the tiny black seeds and cut the flesh into cubes or wedges. Sprinkle with a little lemon juice, chill, and serve as a dessert or breakfast dish.
Pawpaw may be combined with other fruits in a fruit salad – it is particularly good with passionfruit. An attractive and refreshing combination is pawpaw with slices of kiwi fruit, mandarin segments and passionfruit pulp, lightly sweetened and sprinkled with Kirsch, and well chilled before serving.
The juice of pawpaw contains an enzyme, papain, which can be used to break down the fibres of meat and tenderise it.