Green Papayas

Green papayas are used to make the famous Thai papaya salad. They are first peeled, de-seeded, and shredded. The green papaya by itself doesn't have much flavor. Sometimes it's fried with egg to make a simple side dish. I've been scheming away with the idea of making zucchini bread using green papaya. Haven't tried it yet though.

In many areas of Thailand papaya trees grow plentifully. You can buy a papaya for 10 cents, or some people will just give them away free to their neighbors and friends. In Bangkok, on the other hand, you'll pay a bit more. Still much less than the papayas I've seen sold in the grocery stores in the West.

Or if you prefer ripe papaya, of course you can leave them on the tree until they turn a nice yummy yellow orange on the outside and sweet on the inside.