THE PAPAYA AND ITS RELATIVES 229 



Portuguese name, current in Brazil, is mamdo (probably re- 

 ferring to the mammiform apex of the fruit) ; in French the 

 fruit is called papaye, in German papaja, and in Italian papaia. 

 Several other names are used in tropical America, notably 

 fruta de bomba in Cuba, lechosa in Porto Rico, melon zapote in 

 parts of Mexico, and tree-melon in English-speaking countries. 

 Botanically the species is Carica Papaya, L. 



While most commonly used, perhaps, as a breakfast-fruit, 

 like the muskmelon or cantaloupe in northern countries, the 

 papaya can be prepared in numerous ways. In Brazil it is 

 served as a dessert, sliced, with the addition of a little sugar and 

 whipped cream. As a salad, in combination with lettuce, it is 

 excellent. As a crystallized fruit it is good, but has not much 

 character. When green it is sometimes boiled and served as 

 a vegetable, much as summer-squash is in the North. It can 

 also be made into pickles, preserves, jellies, pies, and sherbets. 

 W T hen used as a breakfast-fruit, it is cut in halves longitudinally, 

 and after the seeds are removed served with the addition of 

 lemon juice, salt and pepper, or sugar, according to taste. 



The fruit of the papaya, as well as all other parts of the plant, 

 contains a milky juice in which an active principle known as 

 papain is present. This enzyme, which was first separated by 

 Theodore Peckholt, greatly resembles animal pepsin in its 

 digestive action, and in recent years has become an article of 

 commerce. Aside from its value as a remedy in dyspepsia and 

 kindred ailments, it has been utilized for the clarification of 

 beer. Its digestive action has long been recognized in the 

 tropics, as is evidenced by the common practice of the natives, 

 who rub the juice over meat to make it tender, or, in preparing 

 a fowl, wrap it in papaya leaves and let it remain overnight 

 before cooking it. 



Much has been written concerning the preparation and 

 properties of papain. Lengthy accounts will be found in the 

 Philippine Journal of Science, Section A, January, 1915 ; Agri- 



