How to Tell If a Papaya Is Ripe? Pay Attention to These Things

How to tell if a papaya is ripe and ready to eat? It is somehow an important thing for you to know so that you can eat the right, delicious papaya. Find out several signs showing that papayas are ripe, from the skin and flesh to the aroma of the fruit.

How to Tell If a Papaya Is Ripe? Pay Attention to These Things:

1. Color
   There are so many varieties of papaya from the shape to the size. But when you want to know if a papaya is ripe yet, you have to always see the color. The color of papayas’ skin is green when they are unripe, but when they are ripe, the color turns yellow.
   No matter what variety of papaya that you have, the ripe ones will have the same color. Whether it is small or large, oval or pear shapes, yellow-skinned papaya is considered ripe. Even when the color isn’t fully yellow yet but it’s already soft when touched, you can eat the papaya.

2. A Bit Soft to the Touch
   Papaya that is overripe will have some soft areas or even overly soft parts. But for ripe papayas, the normal texture is firm or at least a bit soft to the touch. If you want to know, you should examine the fruit by pressing it from outside.
   A papaya is ripe when it’s not mushy when you press it carefully. Another thing you should know is that papayas are most likely to rot quickly so it will affect the taste. So if it’s still firm or already a bit soft, you cannot wait too long or it will be overripe.

3. Sweet Taste and Creamy Texture
   How to tell if a papaya is ripe or not is by examining the condition of its flesh. You might be sure enough that the papaya is ripe by looking at the yellow skin and its soft texture. But, you still have to see how the flesh texture is and taste the fruit.
   When papayas are overripe, the taste of its flesh would be mealy and bland. Meanwhile, the normal ripe papayas are sweet but not overwhelmingly sweet and the flesh is usually juicier. The taste would remind you of the combination between the taste of a mango and a cantaloupe with creamy texture.

4. Sweet Smell
   Another characteristic of a ripe papaya that you should examine is from its smell. The scent would be different from the unripe or overripe ones. The ripe papayas that are ready to eat will smell sweet and rich, even sometimes you can smell musky scent.
   If you want to eat a papaya on the same day, you should choose the one that is ripe. You can smell through the skin to check if the papaya begins to ripen and see the color change. But if you want to eat papayas 3-4 days later, make sure you choose the green ones to ripen first.

How to tell if a papaya is ripe is quite easy, because you can simply look from the color. You can even touch the fruit to see if it’s overly soft and taste the flesh to know the texture. Also, the smell of a ripe papaya is so sweet that you will be sure you can eat it right away.