Papaya boat

This papaya boat is a fun and easy breakfast or snack that's packed full of delicious fruit. It takes mere minutes to prepare, is refreshing, light and tasty. A great way to start the day with colorful, tropical vibes.

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I'm sure I was aware of them before, but I particularly associate them with Australia where we had one at a coffee farm. You may wonder how coffee and papaya go together, but apparently the farm realized that if you dual crop coffee and papaya, it's a great match.

The papaya trees provide shade for the coffee plants, and they have similar nutrient needs. The shade also helps reduce weeds. Of course, an additional crop at a different time is an added bonus.

So while I went to see the coffee, we all happily enjoyed some tasty papaya for lunch, from a Thai papaya salad to a gigantic papaya bowl. In fact so big, we had to take some leftovers to enjoy for breakfast the next day.

Sadly, my access to really good papaya is no longer quite as good which has put me off recreating it at home that often. Papaya has a relatively mild flavor, so you want to make sure it's a good one to get as much of the delicate flavor coming through. But when I find a flavorful, nicely ripe one, this is a great option to enjoy it.

Where are papayas from?

Papayas originate from Mexico and Central America but you'll now find them in pretty much all tropical and warmer sub-tropical areas. They're one of the world's most popular fruit and grown in places as far and wide as Australia, Thailand, Brazil, India and Hawaii.

While you can buy them pretty much all over the world, I have to say that having enjoyed them almost off the tree, nothing quite matches them at the source. To export, they need to be less ripe for transportation. This can be good if you are using it as green papaya for salads etc, but I do think some flavor is lost in the ripe fruit. However, I'll still take a decently ripe transported one when we find them as it's a big favorite.

As for making it into a boat, I haven't been able to find anything on where that first appeared. Given how popular papaya is in a few places, there's lots of possibilities. But that, too,

What goes in a papaya boat?

This is highly adaptable, so you can easily change this according to what you have and what you prefer, but broadly speaking what you need is:

• Papaya - the star, and base of the "boat". You use a half papaya for each boat, so I'd suggest you want a small-medium papaya rather than a huge one, or you might need to share to get through it!
• Yogurt - this makes a lovely creamy filling in the papaya's cavity, after you remove the seeds. It conveniently also helps hold the other ingredients in place. You can use a plain yogurt or a flavored one, as you prefer. Flavors like honey, berry or tropical fruits pair well. I'd suggest using a thicker style like Greek yogurt or an Icelandic skyr. Dairy free yogurts will also work well. 
• Granola - you don't have to include this, but it gives a nice bit of crunch that works well in contrast with the other soft ingredients. Plus, it feels that bit more breakfast-y. If you prefer not to use granola, or want to change things up, you could also use some nuts or seeds like slivered almonds, pepitas or chia seeds.
• Berries and/or other fruit - some extra fruit on top adds variety of flavors, as well as some color. I like using some berries as they are bright and flavorful, and some slices of banana if I have part of one. Here I used raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and banana, but other options include kiwi, strawberries, mango and more.

As I say, this is just a guide - it's definitely something that's easy to adapt and vary!

Choosing and preparing the papaya

As I mention above, papayas are generally shipped underripe both so they last longer when in the store and as they damage much more easily when riper. So often, unless you live near somewhere that grows papaya, you will only find more underripe papayas in stores.

If this is the case, you might need to prepare ahead. Choose one that's starting to go ripe then ripen more at home. Look for the size you want and one without too many blemishes. An underripe papaya will generally have more green skin and be firm to touch, then the skin goes more yellow and the fruit becomes softer as it ripens. It will often start to smell a little more fragrant, too.

You will also notice a difference in the flesh color - a ripe papaya has a brighter, deeper orange color while less ripe will be paler. But it's too late once the papaya is open to ripen further, so this is more if you are buying cut fruit. The color can vary, too, from a deeper pinky-orange to paler orange.

To prepare the papaya, cut it in half lengthwise, then scoop out the black seeds in the middle with a spoon, or you can use the knife tip. Sometimes it will be a little stringy around the seeds, so remove this too. Then you are ready to fill. 

The whole thing takes mere minutes to make, too, as once the papaya is cleaned out, you simply add the yogurt then your toppings. It probably takes longer to eat as you try to scrape out every last bit from the papaya!

This papaya boat makes a delicious, easy start to the day full of tropical brightness. It's light, packed with tasty fruit and so easy to adapt to what you have or prefer, too. So find a nice ripe papaya and enjoy!

Try these other tasty, easy fruit dishes:

• Tropical fruit salad (great for breakfast, as part of a potluck and more)
• Stewed plums (the plums are prepared ahead, then similar to this they are great with granola and yogurt)
• Thai pomelo salad (served more as a savory dish, but so refreshing and delicious)
• Mexican fruit cups (so easy to prepare and a tasty snack)
• Plus get more breakfast recipes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

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