Pawpaw

The Miracle of the Pawpaw

By E. G. Buehler, in “Paradise of the Pacific”.

THE Golden Papaya (or Pawpaw) a melon that grows in trees, traces its history to the stirring days of America’s discovery, of pirates along the Spanish Main, to Balboa, struggling through Central American jungle, fighting his way to the Pacific Ocean.

Out of the centuries comes a fruit, whose life-giving, health-preserving prop erties, combined with its luscious qualities, are being extracted, stored and offered to the world.

In Hawaii, a company was organized to herald to the world a food that bids fair to achieve tremendous popularity and vogue, because of its vitamin con tent, discovered by science. Authorities tell us that papaya is one of the greatest sources of vitamin A in the vegetable kingdom. In every 100 grams (or less than four ounces of papaya), there are 2.500 international units of vitamin A, which is known by science as the anti infective vitamin, and also a vitamin that is necessary in the growth of children and the maintenance of healthy eyes in both young and old. Papaya is also high in vitamin C, with a represen tative amount of vitamins G and B.

Papaya, so far as known, is the only fruit in the world to contain enzyme papain, the vegetable equivalent to animal pepsin. Papain digests heavy pro teins that, in many instances, are prone to lie too long in the stomach. Viewing it from the medical standpoint, one can

understand what this actually means in the relief of indigestion and gastric dis turbances.

The fruit is being grown commercially in Hawaii and is being shipped to main land United States, both as fresh fruit and as a canned juice. Papaya are picked green, like bananas, and are prevented from ripening by temperature control until they reach their destination.

Under such circumstances, the fruit naturally lacks some of the exotic flavour of the tree-ripened papaya, although many enjoy the new flavour and find it delicious. In this latter respect, science has again stepped forward to aid in the canning industry. Methods are employed that capture the real papaya flavor, har ness it, retain it and seal it in the can.

There are twenty varieties of papaya in the world. In Hawaii the carica papaya, or what is commonly known as the solo papaya, is being cultivated. This type is considerably smaller than other varieties, but possesses, all admit, a superior flavour.

The tree grows only in tropical coun tries and looks like an umbrella, having a slender trunk with branches and leaves at the top only.

The papaya develops out of blossoms, like other fruit. But, unlike other fruit, it does not grow or hang from a limb, but from a short stem growing directly out of the trunk of the tree, near the top and sheltered by leaves.

The history of papaya is traced to 1513, when Ponce de Leon was looking for the “Fountain of Youth”. It was then that he discovered the melon, and found it to have what he described as “miraculous curative powers”. He was so impressed with it that he wrote a lengthy report about it to his king, Ponce de Leon is quoted as saying: “The Indians prepare meat by wrapping it overnight in the leaves taken from a tree which grows a delicious melon, which they eat, and which I have found to be delightful and palatable. This made the meat so tender it came apart in their fingers. The fruit they called vant, which I afterward found means ‘keep well’. The fruit is used abundantly by them, both as food and a medicine, and it prevents as well as cures many kinds of sickness.”

The following year, Balboa was fighting his way through the jungle across Central America, when he discovered a vast body of water which he named the Pacific Ocean.

According to the notes he left behind, he might not have completed the journey had he not had the aid of the melon which provided sustenance for his struggling men.

In the newest canning processes, papaya juices are being combined with other tropical fruits, such as pineapple, a combination that has found high favour everywhere.

Mr. Charles McKinnon, who was a well-known member of the staff of Steamships Trading Co. Ltd., now is serving with the Royal Australian En gineers in Papua.