Can I only buy it in season?
It is listed as a fruit harvested all year. Even so, the varieties and stock each seller carries differ. Look at whole fruit and prepared fruit separately.
Papaya
Papaya · มะละกอ
If you have tried som tam in Thailand, try ripe papaya too. Unlike the green papaya used in som tam, ripe flesh is eaten soft and sweet. Cut it in half, scoop out the black seeds and eat the flesh. When you choose cut fruit, you can also look for ripe papaya.
Papaya cut half · Maksym Kozlenko · CC BY-SA 4.0
Resized for display · Photo provided under CC BY-SA 4.0
When is the best time to eat it?
Harvested all year
Listed as harvested all year
Use the main season, or the harvest period of a regional fruit, as a guide. Actual harvests can vary with the growing area, the variety and the weather.
What does it taste like?
Ripe papaya is a fruit where you enjoy soft flesh. Unripe papaya is also used as a cooking ingredient, so its texture is different from fruit eaten fresh.
Why this fruit is known in Thailand
It is a fruit you may already know from som tam, the green papaya salad. In Thailand you can learn both how to eat ripe fruit and how unripe fruit is used in cooking.
Basics to know before you buy
- Thai name
- มะละกอ
- Harvest period
- Harvested all year
- How to buy
- Choose by telling apart ripe papaya to eat right away as fruit from green papaya for cooking. The price unit can also differ between whole fruit and a prepared tray.
How to prepare and eat it
- Wash a well-ripened papaya and cut it in half.
- Scoop out the black seeds in the middle, peel it and eat the flesh.
- Green papaya and ripe papaya are eaten differently, so choose the one you want to eat right away.
Price reference
Bangkok retail prices · 14 October 2026
These are prices by variety and grade surveyed by Thailand's Department of Internal Trade. They do not apply at every street stall.
| Fruit and variety | Price | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Papaya · Holland (ฮอลแลนด์) | 40–60 baht | 1 kg |
Look separately at the price of a bag or tray of cut fruit and the per-kg price of whole fruit. Bananas are priced per bunch in this survey.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compare a per-kg price with a price per tray?
Choose by telling apart ripe papaya to eat right away as fruit from green papaya for cooking. The price unit can also differ between whole fruit and a prepared tray.
Keep exploring
Official sources
If you want to read more about the food and the regions behind it, these sources are a good next step. Ingredients and cooking methods can differ from one place to the next.
Sharing image credit: Maksym Kozlenko · CC BY-SA 4.0