Central and northern South America Most of the papayas imported come from Hawaii, but smaller quantities from Florida, California, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Central and South American countries are becoming more available.
Today papaya can be found all year long with the peak season being early summer and fall. Most of the papayas imported come from Hawaii, but smaller quantities from Florida, California, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Central and South American countries are becoming more available.  Botanical name: Carica papaya Native to southern Mexico and Central America, papaya is now cultivated in most tropical regions, including Hawaii, where it was introduced in the early 1800s. Today, Hawaii is still the only U.S. state where papaya is commercially grown. Papaya is native to Central and northern South America and has become naturalized throughout the Caribbean Islands, Florida and several countries of Africa. Additional crops are grown in India, Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and the U.S. state of Hawaii. The papaya is a large, tree-like plant, with a single stem growing from 5 to 10 m (16 to 33 ft) tall, with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk. The lower trunk is conspicuously scarred where leaves and fruit were borne. This article is about Carica papaya, the widely cultivated papaya (or papaw or pawpaw), a tropical fruit tree. For the mountain papaya (Vasconcellea pubescens) of South America, see Mountain papaya. For the Eastern North American tree (and fruit) called pawpaw, see Asimina triloba. The papaya is a large, tree-like plant, with a single stem growing from 5 to 10 m (16 to 33 ft) tall, with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk. The lower trunk is conspicuously scarred where leaves and fruit were borne. Print. Share. Papain is a powerful digestive enzyme commonly found and extracted from the papaya fruit (Carica papaya) , it is also referred to as papaya proteinase. The papaya-enzyme papain plays a key role in digestive processes involving breaking down tough protein fibers What is Papain. Papain is an enzyme that is found in green papaya (papaya that is not quite ripe). It has been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years because of its many health benefits which include treating wounds and cuts, stings and burns and internal illnesses. Papain is often combined with bromelain, which is the enzyme found in pineapple; bromelain & papain together are like a super cocktail of health. It is also often used by people who have recently had to take a course of antibiotics, as the enzymes help to restore healthy gut flora. The fruit, as well as the other parts of the papaya tree, contain papain, an enzyme that helps digest proteins. This enzyme is especially concentrated in the fruit when it is unripe. Papain is extracted to make digestive enzyme dietary supplements and is also used as an ingredient in some chewing gums. Additional information about the amount of these nutrients provided by Papaya can be found in the Food Rating System Chart. A link that takes you to the In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Papaya, featuring information over 80 nutrients, can be found under the Food Rating System Chart. Deliciously sweet with musky undertones and a soft, butter-like consistency, it is no wonder the papaya was reputably called the fruit of the angels by Christopher Columbus. Once considered quite exotic, they can now be found in markets throughout the year. Additional information about the amount of these nutrients provided by Papaya can be found in the Food Rating System Chart. A link that takes you to the In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Papaya, featuring information over 80 nutrients, can be found under the Food Rating System Chart.
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/fruit-month-papaya http://foodfacts.mercola.com/papaya.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaya http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/papain/ http://papayadigestion.com/content/what-papain.html http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=47 http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=47
where is papaya found