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How many forms can a papaya take? 🤔 #FoodForThought
According to those who lived through the war — too many to count.
Fruits were commonly used in the wartime kitchen, and took on many different forms. And papaya was especially popular. It was easily found and could be smoked, boiled, put into a soup, or made into a jam. Some ate it raw with salt, or added to dhal to create a one-dish meal rich with protein and fibre. Others steamed or baked a whole papaya and stuffed it with meat and veggies, or turned papayas — and indeed other fruits — into spreads, jams, chutneys and desserts.
Wartime cooking wasn’t always depressing. There were still treats -- one just had to be creative. Using fruit as a base, they created pineapple tarts and cakes with ground tapioca, which was used as a substitute for rice flour to make biscuits and cakes.
Food, and cooking, were ways to keep going when there was not enough, and when hope seemed dim. In a time when life was bitter and hard to swallow, papaya jam, and fruits in general, provided much needed and welcome sweetness. 🍍🍎🍋
🧑🍳 Recipe: Wartime Kitchen (Wong Hong Suen)