Dulce de Mamón – Papaya Dessert

Leaving out Dulce de Mamón, the cream of Paraguayan desserts, is a terrible mistake (though it contains no cream at all). The papaya tree is a common sight in the country, providing delicious fruits for the locals to make this delicious dish.

While ripe papayas are extremely soft and sweet, Dulce de Mamón is made with green or half-ripe papayas. They cook chunks of green papaya in sugar syrup for hours over a low flame until tender before adding lemon juice and spices.

Another variation calls for the papayas to be seasoned with sugar before boiling. Whatever the case may be, the end result is always a fruity, syrupy-sweet dessert that melts on the tip of your tongue.