On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 736

the center and progresses outward, and causes a manyfold increase in carotenoid pigments and aroma molecules, as well as a marked softening Softening causes the apparent sweetness to increase even though the actual sugar content doesn’t change (the sugars are more readily released from the softened tissue) A ripe papaya is a low-acid fruit with a delicate, flowery aroma thanks to terpenes, and a touch of cabbage-like pungency due to the surprising presence of isothiocyanates (p 321) These compounds are especially concentrated in the seeds, which can be dried and used as a mildly mustardy seasoning Unripe, crisp green papaya is made into salads and pickles The green fruit contains vessels of milky latex rich in the proteindigesting enzyme papain, which is found in some meat tenderizers Papain levels drop during ripening, but can still cause texture and taste problems like those caused by the pineapple enzyme bromelain (p 384) Two other papaya species can be found in markets The large cool-climate mountain papaya, C pubescens, is less sweet than the lowland papaya, but richer in papain and in carotenoid pigments, often including lycopene, which gives its flesh a reddish tinge The babaco, C pentagona, is apparently a natural hybrid, and has cream-colored, tart, seedless flesh Passion Fruit, Granadilla Passion fruits and the granadilla come from about a dozen species of vines of the genera Passi-flora and Tacsonia, natives of tropical lowlands and subtropical highlands in South America They consist of a brittle (Passi-flora) or soft (Tacsonia) outer husk, with a mass of hard seeds embedded in pulpy seed coverings, or arils The arils are the only edible portion, and make up barely a third of the fruit weight Though the pulp is sparse, its flavor is concentrated and actually benefits from ... species of vines of the genera Passi-flora and Tacsonia, natives of tropical lowlands and subtropical highlands in South America They consist of a brittle (Passi-flora) or soft (Tacsonia) outer... mass of hard seeds embedded in pulpy seed coverings, or arils The arils are the only edible portion, and make up barely a third of the fruit weight Though the pulp is sparse, its flavor is concentrated... lycopene, which gives its flesh a reddish tinge The babaco, C pentagona, is apparently a natural hybrid, and has cream-colored, tart, seedless flesh Passion Fruit, Granadilla Passion fruits and the granadilla come from