Exotic Fruit for Health

Delicious Papaya Recipes

by Samantha on February 9, 2012

The papaya, or papaw, is a delicious, succulent orange fruit that grows deep in the lush tropical forests of the Americas. With a thin yellow-green rind, inside the fruit is a rich and creamy orange, with a delicately sweet taste and round black seeds.

In the Western world, where the fruit has been widely embraced, papaya is treated like any other fruit. Its diced cubes can be used in fruit salads, or eaten by themselves. It is a common ingredient in papaya juice and smoothies, especially those with a tropical theme. The papaya even finds uses in fruit trifles, cakes, and even papaya pies.

However, in the Americas, the ancestral homeland of the papaya, and in Southeastern Asia, where the papaya is now commonly cultivated, the indigenous people have found a multitude of ways to eat the fruit, many of which may seem foreign or strange to the typical American ear. Used to considering papaya as only a sweet fruit to be eaten in desserts or snacks, the papaya actually has a significant culinary role in dishes such as curries and stews. A traditional Southeastern Asia dish that can be easily made at home is a simple papaya curry, with tropical flavors areas such as coconut, chilies, and cilantro. The green papaya is diced, cooked with coconut oil for fragrance, and then mashed and watered down to form a delicious curry paste.

Another recipe popular in Central America today is papaya stew. This recipe goes against our cultural perception of the papaya as a sweet fruit—it pairs up the green fruit with flavors like jalapeño and chilies, but also meats, something unconventional from our cultural perspective. The unripe papaya, when simmered, lends a unique thickness and fragrance to the stew that pairs up well with the other flavors. A dash of cocoa, a typical staple in areas like Costa Rica, completes this aromatic dish.

The papaya is a very versatile fruit, and though it has mainly been used a delicious and juicy fruit, it can also lend its flavor and texture to dishes like curries and stews. Keep an open mindset, and when papaya season rolls around again, maybe try making some new dishes. You never know what culinary wonders might lay in store when you view a fruit from a whole new cultural perspective.

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Lychee: Health Benefits

by Samantha on February 7, 2012

The lychee, or “litchi,” is a delicious exotic fruit popular throughout China and other Asian countries. With a thin, bumpy pink peel and a pearly white flesh, the fruit has a delicately milky and sweet taste. However, the lychee also has a multitude of proven health benefits. The fruit contains very low levels of potentially harmful compounds such as unsaturated fats, and with its delicious taste, it is a safe and healthy snack. But what else can it do?

First off, the lychee has high levels of vitamin C, an excellent health benefit it provides—over 72 mg per 100 grams of lychee, and the daily requirement for humans is only 100 mg. Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a powerful antioxidant that keeps your body in balance. Vitamin C is essential to healthy living but also gives your immune system an extra boost, helping fight off harmful chemicals such as foreign pathogens and free radicals, which can cause cancer. A study published in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology showed that with its high levels of antioxidants, consumption of the lychee fruit could reduce the formation and progression of breast cancer, a problem that is becoming increasingly important in modern society.

The lychee also contains good amounts of essential minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium—each serving of lychee contains at least 10 mg of magnesium, 31 mg of phosphorus, and 5 mg of calcium. These three minerals are necessary for bone growth, so lychee can be an excellent snack for growing children. However, if you are past the stage of growth, these three minerals can also help you maintain and replenish bone health.

Lychee is just a great fruit overall if you’re looking to feel better about yourself and your body. As a mild digestive and diuretic, some lychee after each meal can aid your digestive processes and lead to a more balanced and better you. As a rich source of fiber and carbohydrates, a serving of lychee can help regulate your digestive system and give you a healthy boost of energy, leaving you feeling awake and ready for whatever may come. As a juicy and delicious fruit as well, eating a serving of lychee anytime in your day will result in a happier and healthier person.

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How To Eat Starfruit

by Samantha on February 5, 2012

Starfruit is a delicious and exotic tropical fruit found in Southeastern Asia. With a rich yellow color and hints of green, the most unique part of this fruit is the shape for which it was named: when cut horizontally into cross sections, the slices form perfect stars. Star fruit has a tangy and sweet taste when ripe, and is also a great source of Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, an important antioxidant that fights off the harmful compounds called free radicals and gives your immune system an extra boost.

However, eating star fruit may be intimidating at first, as it is not a very common food in the western world. The ripest star fruit will be bright yellow all over, with a few splashes of green—which is common. Don’t be put off by brown streaks on the flesh, as this is normal in star fruits, but be careful of them, as too many brown spots or streaks and no green could mean that the star fruit is overripe.

Now for starfruit preparation! Of course, the first thing to do once you’ve picked a good star fruit is to wash it thoroughly as you would with any fruit. Next, take a sharp, thin knife and shear off the tips of each ridge that sticks out from the fruit. If you have picked a good fruit, this should get rid of most of the green or brown. Next, slice off the two tips of the oblong star fruit and discard them. By now there should be no more green or brown left on the fruit.

Now you can just put the starfruit down and slice it into cross-sections, which should be shaped like stars. You may notice a small dark pit or seed in a few of these pieces. With the knife, peel these seeds out and discard them. The slices can be cut thick or thin, as with any other fruit. The sweet and distinct flavor of starfruit can be played with, and you can put slices of star fruit in fruit salad, smoothies, a juice drink, yogurt, or just eat them plain, as they are a delicious fruit after all.

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Passion Fruit: Health Benefits and Nutrition

January 31, 2012

The passion fruit is a fruit that may look nondescript at first, as a small, round, egg-sized fruit with a dark purple skin. However, when cut open, it is filled with golden pulp and black seeds that give it an exotic appearance. Not only does it make a delicious jam or jelly with a crunchy [...]

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Papaya: Health Benefits and Nutrition

January 29, 2012

Papayas are fleshy orange fruits native to the South America region. You might know them for their faintly sweet flesh, or its prevalence in the jellies, sauces, and curries of Southeast Asia. However, the papaya is more than a delicious snack. It has a multitude of health benefits for the bodies of the average citizen. [...]