Lechosa?

What is Lechosa? It’s the Venezuelan name for “Papaya”, the fruit of the plant “Carica papaya” a native plant to the tropics of the Americas.
It has also been nicknamed “tree melon”, since these melons grow on a tree!

The most popular way to eat papayas is to cut them in half, scoop out the seeds and eat the flesh with a spoon. The unripe green fruit of papaya can be eaten cooked, in curries, salads, stews and as sweet preserves. The black seeds are edible and have a sharp, spicy taste. They are
sometimes ground up and used as a substitute for black pepper.

“Papaya”
• watercolor, digital, printed on ricepaper and mounted on canvas
• 10″ x 10″ • Lisa Rivas © 2007

A wonderful dish is grilled “green papaya cubes” on skewers with fish or seafood with a squirt of lemon juice!

Trivia: The “Papaya” was the first fruit tree to have its genome deciphered.