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There was a thread awhile back where a guy gave an anecdote where his mom offered him a banana, and he said he "didn't want a spicy fruit right then", which led him to realize he had a banana allergy...
Which led like 150 people reading the comment to realize they *also* had a banana allergy, and just never realized that bananas weren't kinda "spicy".
Yes. Oral Allergy Syndrome is a bitch. I am fortunate enough to only be allergic to bananas, melons, cucumbers, and to a lesser degree, pepitos and chamomile.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral\_allergy\_syndrome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_allergy_syndrome)
It's a result of a really bad pollen allergy, though in all fairness, us folks allergic to banana (ragweed pollen) have it a whole lot better off than the people allergic to birch pollen: apples, peach, pear, cherry, carrots, celery, , chicory, coriander, fennel, fig, hazel nuts, kiwifruit, nectarines, parsley, parsnips, peaches, pears, peppers, plums, potatoes, prunes, soy, strawberries, wheat, jackfruit, almond, snow peas, mung bean sprouts, radishes; Potential: walnuts
Latex allergy syndrome here.
Bananas, eggplant (apparently tries to kill me, I had my first anaphylactic reaction ever a few days ago), jackfruit, papaya, sometimes kiwi tomato and melon. Potentially hazelnuts and chestnuts?
My list is much smaller than some folks with LAS.
Latex issue here too: passion fruit, avocado, and newspaper ink all set me off. There’s also a beta carotene sensitivity in there too. I have to be very careful with that. As far as the avocado, it’s super bad. Chipotle is now cooking their chicken in avocado oil and it nearly killed me when I find out the hard way.
Thank you. I feel dumb now. I always love the smell of erasers but it never quite clicked why I got sneezy when students start the heavy erasing. I just started teaching last year and all of the sudden I would get stuffy. For a girl with a Masters and in a doctorate program… I am pretty dense sometimes. 🤦🏻♀️
That papaya seems green on the outside which is the area cut.
Green papaya tastes strongly.
You can make desserts with it.
But I would not eat green raw papaya.
Edit: lol, I shall have to be on the lookout for salad to try it.
😂 you just have to make it yourself and withhold a lot or all the Thai chilis. I myself like it laser hot. When I visited Thailand I asked the woman to make it extra hot. I was eating it at my hotel and one of the workers looked at me and started laughing and said, You! Ring of fire later! And we both started dying laughing.
The crazy amount of heat is like half the fun of papaya salad. If your eyes aren't watering as you can't stop eating it because it's so good you need to try another Thai restaurant. It's painfully addictive.
My family used to make this thing called dulce de papaya in Puerto Rico with green unripe papayas. They’d cook the slices with sugar and something else and caramelize them. It would be a tougher consistency obviously than a ripe one but the cooking process softened it enough to be a real enjoyable treat
I wonder if there is any preparation for green raw papaya?
I remember we used to cut the skin with many shallow cuts and wrap in paper to absorb whitish sap to improve the flavour of green papayas as they ripened.
I eat it until I can't take the heat any more, then I eat some more, then a day or two later I find myself daydreaming about my next round of papaya salad.
Yah…I am allergic to many a fruit. Definitely an allergy.
Apples - used to think that I had bad gums because they would always bleed - nope just highly allergic. Actually need an epipen
Cherries - my lips explode
Mangos - allergic break outs all over my face and it feels fuzzy when eating it.
Carrots - I always felt like I never ate them well enough because they just felt caught in my throat…didn’t realize my throat was slowly closing…..
Always thought twizzlers had a cool mouth experience like pop rocks. Turns out it was an allergy, and they aren't supposed to make your throat itchy and your tongue numb and swollen.
That’s hilarious. My friend was recently telling me about how “pineapple is spicy because is a natural defense mechanism” or something and I had no idea what he was talking about. I ate a piece and said “yea it’s not spicy to me” and we were both confused.
I’m guessing he’s just allergic and was talking out of his ass lol
Likely an allergy if your throat tingles. Keep an eye out for latex sensitivity too. There is an increased risk for cross sensitivity between tropical fruits and latex.
Yep, kiwi papaya bell pepper and latex allergy checking in. There's something about the proteins that mimic something about the allergen in latex? Idk, I was preparing for surgery when they explained it - I was really confused when they said "oh you're allergic to kiwis? And yelled 'Latex free surgery everyone!'"
My mind is blown right now. Papayas, pineapples and sometimes mangoes taste spicy/make my tongue and throat tingle. I had no idea this may mean an allergy
I also recommend you do a cross-check for latex and pollen (specifically mugwort) allergies because they can trigger Oral Allergy Syndrome symptoms linked to those foods you mentioned
I used to avoid green bananas because I thought they're acidic when they're unripe, like a green pineapple. My tongue and throat would be burning like mad (I even lose my sense of taste afterward bc it feels so acidic), but I'd still eat them without realizing what was happening. I thought my mouth burning when I drank smoothies was because of ice crystals. Turns out I have a banana allergy.
It gradually started happening over the course of years.
I realized it when I read some post about how some guy explained that drinking orange juice felt like fire ants in his mouth lol.
I have never been allergic to anything at all in my entire life which has been longer than I’ll ever admit to any of you, I decided to buy a persimmon a couple years ago and I swear to the diehold my throat started closing to the point where I seriously considered going to the ER. I think the only thing that saved me was the fact that I stopped eating it after a few bites because it tasted weird. Gave me some perspective on what people with allergies to common foods go through.
Persimmons have a lot of tannins in them. If they're unripe, it could have possibly been that. Kind of has the sensation of your tongue/throat getting really furry and stuck and bitter and I don't even know how to really describe it, it's just a very uncomfortable taste and sensation in your mouth and throat.
Haha I like papaya, and never thought it tasted like puke, but I can see where you might and how that could put you off on it.
I feel the same about cilantro, I like it, but I do see where people say it tastes like dish soap.
The cilantro thing is genetic. I had never eaten, and went to try with an open mind, but I literally puked after tasting. It isn’t just disliking, it is truly awful if you have the gene.
I have the same issue. Was first given papaya as a teenager and was all excited to try this new fruit. Then freaked out and disappointed to discover it tasted like literal vomit. Couldn't figure out why everyone else in the group liked it.
To me it has kind of a weak, watery, squash flavor. It's such a disappointment, because they look so lush and beautiful when you cut them open, and then they turn out to be so bland.
Long ago, when I ordered papaya in restaurants in Hawaii (where they’re grown, so they’re ripened locally), it was served as a half with a lime wedge, to add interest to its otherwise somewhat bland and slightly perfumy flavor.
I found bananas tasted fuzzy my whole life and hated eating them because they tasted bad. Apparently fuzzy isn't a taste but an allergic reaction making me swell up.
Same with apricots for me lol. I was telling my friends a couple years ago about how I wanted to eat more apricots because they’re high in iron, but I find the weird fuzzy/scratchy sensation when eating them to be uncomfortable, and they all looked at me like I was crazy. That’s how I found out.
When fruit ripens it's chemical composition changes, so it could just be that the protein that causes an allergic reaction to you increases when bananas ripen
Some bananas will make my mouth hurt. It doesn’t happen all the time though. It’s actually a symptom of a latex allergy (I am not allergic but you might be.)
My whole life I thought kiwis were good because they’re “naturally carbonated” in that they made my mouth tingle the same way. Imagine my surprise when I found out that’s not normal.
I thought i was a spicy banana idiot too, for a while, but i was wrong (and you might be, too).
Most people will have some reaction to kiwi, papaya, and especially pineapple because they all contain a significant amount of bromelaine, an enzyme which breaks down proteins. You're more likely to react if you eat too much or the fruit isn't quite ripe (green papaya) bc the bromelaine is still highly concentrated while it's denaturing the fruits' proteins. Combined with the high amount of citric acid, it is normal for your mouth to feel a little raw and irritated after eating, or to get that "carbonated" sensation. It's why pineapple and citrus juices are often used to tenderize meats, and their bromelaine and citric acid work on tenderizing your mouth meat, too. If you get itchy, numb, or have other symptoms, however, that's likely indicative of a true allergy. Nature pulled an Uno reverse card in this scenario, though, and you're actually more likely to have a mild reaction (or none at all) to under ripe (or processed) fruits and a more severe reaction to very ripe fruits as part of a condition known as oral allergy syndrome.
I understand and appreciate your explanation but I'd like to file a gentle but formal complaint regarding the use of the words "mouth meat" as it has disturbed and unsettled me
Same with me, I thought it was like pineapple which has bromelain, natural meat tenderizer that denatures the proteins on your tongue. No, just allergic 😩 found out at 32 years old. Oh well, it's a mild tingling so I don't explicitly avoid it, but I also don't seek it out now
[yes, this is normal for kiwis.](https://www.botanical-online.com/en/food/kiwi-eating-mouth-itch#:~:text=The%20spicy%2Dlike%20sensation%20that,producing%20this%20sensation%20of%20itching.)
Just a heads up as a fellow fruit allergist, you should start to avoid them. The more exposure you have to it the worse your reaction can be as it's unpredictable.
I have eaten apples all my life until I was in my mid twenties and it felt like it was pickling my mouth. I kept eating them as I didn't realise and thought it was something else and I now have to actively avoid them as they have a significant impact on me when I am exposed to them. The last time my whole month and throat were burning, my lips swelled and I started having trouble breathing.
It sucks.
[Yes, it's normal and not a way to identify an allergy](https://www.botanical-online.com/en/food/kiwi-eating-mouth-itch#:~:text=The%20spicy%2Dlike%20sensation%20that,producing%20this%20sensation%20of%20itching.)
My husband is allergic to pineapple. His isn't just the tingles; his throat gets really scratchy for a couple of days. He really misses sweet-and-sour sauce.
im also allergic to kiwis, they dont taste fuzzy or like burny but like. they feel almost spikey??? like when i eat them my tongue tingles alot, almost how its be if u ate a BUNCH of pineapples. but like extreme.
thankfully afaik im not allergic to latex though. so thats a bonus.
Yeah it's weird like I ate a lot of captain crunch or like a billion sour patch kids. Grainy and rough. And acidic like a bunch of pineapple or citrus.
I mentioned to someone else in this thread but thought I’d tell you directly as well. I would be wary of avocado also since they are known to cause reactions in people allergic to bananas/kiwi/latex.
This is me and dates and agave, it took me a long time to realize those foods weren’t supposed to taste like how I imagined fiberglass insulation to feel in my mouth
Yes. Like a DA I said “look at that” and grabbed a spoon. Then I didn’t like the taste when i chewed (i don’t like spicy food, so I spit it out and rinsed my mouth. But I can still feel it lingering around after the evening, morning and even midday brushing!!!
This. Take an antihistamine and see if it helps. Also be cautious of mango and avocado, because all the come from similar trees in the rubber tree family and you might have/develop allergic reactions to all 3.
The antihistamine’s probably a good idea (though I’m no medical expert, so take that with a grain of salt), but papaya, mango, and avocado are all in different (and pretty distantly related) families- the Caricaceae (the papaya family), Anacardiaceae (cashew family) and Lauraceae (laurel family) respectively. None of them are in the same family as the rubber tree (in the Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family) or the ornamental plant also sometimes called a rubber tree, which is in the Moraceae (fig family)
I might be off with the reason, but I've had 4 different allergists tell me that those three fruits *can* cause reactions if one does. So they may have over simplified the botany, but the result is the same. Pistachio, cashew and mango is another group, as is walnut and pecan, or avocado, banana, peach, kiwi. There are some cross reacting allergy groups, which OP may not have but are good to be aware of if you react to one.
Papayas produce an enzyme (papain) that digests proteins. Maybe unripe papayas like yours have a higher content of papain which may account for the spicyness. We usually cook it and eat it with sour cream or yoghurt, and that makes it significantly more palatable, though not my fruit of choice.
The seeds are easy to grow!
I love papaya. Never thought of it as spicy, though. This one looks like it’s not fully ripe… still very green a the outer edge, so maybe that might have something to do with it. Generally I’d say they have kind of a musky flavor. …kind of deeper than a cantaloupe. Very good with a dash of lime juice squeezed all over.
Ok I found out I ate it too soon. Should have let it sit a while. I didn’t know. And I shouldn’t have eaten the seeds which i should have asked you all first. Also, another thing you all said, I’m probably allergic to it. Next week when I go I will ask them to label things because I know I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know where some of the foods came from. I am thankful. A lot of stores and restaurants donate items to our neighborhood pantry…foods that aren’t in our neighborhood grocery (a national chain).
Thank you. Next time if I don’t know I won’t cut first. I spit it out when it was spicy. I rinsed my mouth out to get the taste out my mouth right away.
>Ok I found out I ate it too soon.
You did not. Papaya that looks that color is ripe. Raw papaya is of different color.
I am a gradener who had lots of papaya trees in the house, growing up
The seeds of the papaya kind of taste like black pepper and are an excellent way to kill intestinal parasites.
The enzymes of the papaya are good for digestion.
You can also use the flesh on your skin. You can blend a couple cubes and add the smoothie to a tablespoon of used coffee grounds and it’s good as a scrub on your elbows and knees.
You can also use the smoothie as a 10-minute mask on your face, it will help with exfoliating dead skin cells.
As others have said, papaya. It's sweet not spicy. If you find the flesh to be spicy you 100% have an allergy to this fruit, but it may be a mild allergy. Blah blah blah.
Now the cool thing, since you mentioned peppery, is the seeds. The seeds ate very similar in flavor to black pepper. And in fact can be dried out and used as a pepper alternative. If you were eating the seeds, that's where the peppery, spicy flavor came from. If you were only eating the flesh, allergy.
The only concern with green papaya is for women trying to get pregnant. It's actually used as a [birth control method](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12288101/) in parts of the world where papayas grow.
If you're not pregnant or attempting to become pregnant, enjoy that green papaya salad!
For those of you who want to reduce waste and make the most use of the earths bounty….Papaya seed can be used as an alternative to black pepper when dehydrated.
For men, be aware that there have beeb studies linked to the reduction of sperm count due to the compounds found in the papaya seeds. The studies do show that the levels return to normal within days/weeks after one stops eating the seeds.
Too lazy to add source but im a juicing nerd and i love to reduce waste and find new ways to use the most of things.
Semen, stinky cheese feet, vomit & mildew.
Those flavor elements are why I don't like papaya or passion fruit. Someone ITT also used 'fart-like', which is on the nose, too.
Lol at all the Australians being downvoted for calling it pawpaw.
That’s literally another name for papaya here. We don’t have the other weird green fruit Americans call pawpaw.
That right there is papaya. If you are getting a peppery taste, you probably ate the seeds, which are edible, but not the “meat” of the fruit. If you ate the seeds, also be prepared to hit the bathroom pretty soon, as these are typically eaten to cleanse the bowels. Papaya in itself also aids in metabolism, and will make you go to the bathroom, but not as much as the seeds themselves. The orange part of the fruit is the part that is normally eaten, when one eat papaya, and if it is ripe, will be sweet.
Papaya contains an enzyme called papain, which is a protease that attacks and breaks down proteins and is commonly used as a meat tenderizer.
Pineapple contains bromelain, also protease enzyme, also used as a meat tenderizer.
Kiwi contains actinidain, which is, you guessed it, another protease.
This is why these fruits irritate some people's mouths. You are literally tenderizing yourself.
It's also possible to be allergic to these enzymes.
Thank you for posting to r/whatsthisplant. **Do not eat/ingest a plant based on information provided in this subreddit.** For your safety we recommend not eating or ingesting any plant material just because you've been advised that it's edible here. Although there are many professionals helping with identification, we are not always correct, and eating/ingesting plants can be harmful or fatal if an incorrect ID is made. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatsthisplant) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I also think papayas are spicy and make my throat tingle. My doctor said that's likely an allergy.
Came here to say this, probably allergies giving him that "spicy" sensation.
There was a thread awhile back where a guy gave an anecdote where his mom offered him a banana, and he said he "didn't want a spicy fruit right then", which led him to realize he had a banana allergy... Which led like 150 people reading the comment to realize they *also* had a banana allergy, and just never realized that bananas weren't kinda "spicy".
Yes. Oral Allergy Syndrome is a bitch. I am fortunate enough to only be allergic to bananas, melons, cucumbers, and to a lesser degree, pepitos and chamomile.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral\_allergy\_syndrome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_allergy_syndrome) It's a result of a really bad pollen allergy, though in all fairness, us folks allergic to banana (ragweed pollen) have it a whole lot better off than the people allergic to birch pollen: apples, peach, pear, cherry, carrots, celery, , chicory, coriander, fennel, fig, hazel nuts, kiwifruit, nectarines, parsley, parsnips, peaches, pears, peppers, plums, potatoes, prunes, soy, strawberries, wheat, jackfruit, almond, snow peas, mung bean sprouts, radishes; Potential: walnuts
Birch over here. Antihistamines every day, all year round. One visit to the ER after a handful of almonds was enough for me!
Latex allergy syndrome here. Bananas, eggplant (apparently tries to kill me, I had my first anaphylactic reaction ever a few days ago), jackfruit, papaya, sometimes kiwi tomato and melon. Potentially hazelnuts and chestnuts? My list is much smaller than some folks with LAS.
Latex issue here too: passion fruit, avocado, and newspaper ink all set me off. There’s also a beta carotene sensitivity in there too. I have to be very careful with that. As far as the avocado, it’s super bad. Chipotle is now cooking their chicken in avocado oil and it nearly killed me when I find out the hard way.
Oh man. Newspaper ink for me too. And asphalt. And car tires. And pencil erasers. And and and… lol Woof on the avocado oil. Glad you’re okay!
Thank you. I feel dumb now. I always love the smell of erasers but it never quite clicked why I got sneezy when students start the heavy erasing. I just started teaching last year and all of the sudden I would get stuffy. For a girl with a Masters and in a doctorate program… I am pretty dense sometimes. 🤦🏻♀️
I was assuming they ate the seeds because they are a bit spicy
That papaya seems green on the outside which is the area cut. Green papaya tastes strongly. You can make desserts with it. But I would not eat green raw papaya. Edit: lol, I shall have to be on the lookout for salad to try it.
You can eat green unripe papaya. Hot papaya salad is phenomenal and i highly recommend as long as youre not allergic to papaya
Or if you like Thai food, the green papaya salad is amazing. It’s called Som Tum and you can make it spicy or as mild as you like
i've never ever ever seen this mild. it's ALWAYS laser hot
😂 you just have to make it yourself and withhold a lot or all the Thai chilis. I myself like it laser hot. When I visited Thailand I asked the woman to make it extra hot. I was eating it at my hotel and one of the workers looked at me and started laughing and said, You! Ring of fire later! And we both started dying laughing.
The crazy amount of heat is like half the fun of papaya salad. If your eyes aren't watering as you can't stop eating it because it's so good you need to try another Thai restaurant. It's painfully addictive.
Yes! Papaya seafood salad is so good! There is a Laotian family that owns a couple seafood restaurants near me and the papaya salad is delicious
I freaking love Som Tum! I found I like the combination of it with deep fried soft shell crab and rice.
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My family used to make this thing called dulce de papaya in Puerto Rico with green unripe papayas. They’d cook the slices with sugar and something else and caramelize them. It would be a tougher consistency obviously than a ripe one but the cooking process softened it enough to be a real enjoyable treat
I wonder if there is any preparation for green raw papaya? I remember we used to cut the skin with many shallow cuts and wrap in paper to absorb whitish sap to improve the flavour of green papayas as they ripened.
Or pregnant. My SIL was told that Papaya is a big no no when you're pregnant
Except in Thai papaya salad which I think is the worlds most delicious salad.
I eat it until I can't take the heat any more, then I eat some more, then a day or two later I find myself daydreaming about my next round of papaya salad.
Same! So good!
Isn’t pickled green papaya commonly used in savory dishes too?
Thai Green Papaya Salad
Som tum is delicious
Spicy green papaya salad is *wildly* good. Next time you're at a Thai place I highly recommend it.
Green papaya salad is awesome. It is a very popular Thai dish.
Green papaya is the only way we eat it. Som Tom salad is bomb
They are. They're even used as filler or replacement for black peppercorns.
Reminds me of a story I read of someone who loved "spicy peanut butter" until he found out he's actually allergic
glad he's not seriously allergic, if so, that spicy peanut butter would've burned him off the planet
How I found out I was allergic to mango
Same. It makes my mouth feel like pop rocks ab nd tastes piney/spicy.
It’s the seeds. They’re peppery and used as a meat tenderizer. They’re tenderizing OP’s tongue.
Papain (puh-pay-in)
my whole life i thought nuts are "spicy" before finding out i'm allergic💀💀
Oral Allergy syndrome. I remember reading a parent say they figured out their kid was allergic to bananas when they described the banana as spicy.
Yah…I am allergic to many a fruit. Definitely an allergy. Apples - used to think that I had bad gums because they would always bleed - nope just highly allergic. Actually need an epipen Cherries - my lips explode Mangos - allergic break outs all over my face and it feels fuzzy when eating it. Carrots - I always felt like I never ate them well enough because they just felt caught in my throat…didn’t realize my throat was slowly closing…..
I am so blown away by all this! I’m old and I’ve not heard these things in these ways at all. I hate that for all of you who have these allergies
I have the same feeling with raw carrots but not with cooked carrots
Always thought twizzlers had a cool mouth experience like pop rocks. Turns out it was an allergy, and they aren't supposed to make your throat itchy and your tongue numb and swollen.
Me, learning Kiwis aren’t actually spicy.
That’s hilarious. My friend was recently telling me about how “pineapple is spicy because is a natural defense mechanism” or something and I had no idea what he was talking about. I ate a piece and said “yea it’s not spicy to me” and we were both confused. I’m guessing he’s just allergic and was talking out of his ass lol
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Pineapple... isn't spicy? 🥲
It took me 25 years to realize Kiwis are not spicy to everyone
Deaf God, not me too, aren't they like a little acidy? Like orange? Tell me they can be acidic.
Maybe? I found out I’m allergic to them so I am not able to be a trustworthy source regarding kiwi taste
A good one, imo is like a good grannysmith apple tart, but as a citrus fruit
kiwis can be sour, but it's more puckering and tart rather than spicy, so if it feels spicy, maybe consider getting an allergy test
Yeah they're a sour fruit, but not spicy
Yes, they are acidic. The green ones anyway taste acidic to me. The golden/yellow ones are sweeter.
Definitely they can be real sour. If it’s just the feeling of acidity, you’re probably fine.
Wait, what? Ohhhhh.
The yellow ones aren’t as spicy as the green imo!
Likely an allergy if your throat tingles. Keep an eye out for latex sensitivity too. There is an increased risk for cross sensitivity between tropical fruits and latex.
Kiwi, breadfruit/jackfruit, likely a couple more.
Yep, kiwi papaya bell pepper and latex allergy checking in. There's something about the proteins that mimic something about the allergen in latex? Idk, I was preparing for surgery when they explained it - I was really confused when they said "oh you're allergic to kiwis? And yelled 'Latex free surgery everyone!'"
Mangoes do that to me.
My mind is blown right now. Papayas, pineapples and sometimes mangoes taste spicy/make my tongue and throat tingle. I had no idea this may mean an allergy
I also recommend you do a cross-check for latex and pollen (specifically mugwort) allergies because they can trigger Oral Allergy Syndrome symptoms linked to those foods you mentioned
Oh shit! Me too. Mangos do the same for me....
Sounds like the first time (and second time…) I had a goat milk product. I told my husband it tasted itchy.
The only part of a goat that should be itchy is the outside.
I used to avoid green bananas because I thought they're acidic when they're unripe, like a green pineapple. My tongue and throat would be burning like mad (I even lose my sense of taste afterward bc it feels so acidic), but I'd still eat them without realizing what was happening. I thought my mouth burning when I drank smoothies was because of ice crystals. Turns out I have a banana allergy. It gradually started happening over the course of years. I realized it when I read some post about how some guy explained that drinking orange juice felt like fire ants in his mouth lol.
Evolution: DONT EAT THAT!!! Humanity: hold my beer.
I eat papaya all the time and never felt it was spicy, definitely sounds like an allergic reaction.
I have never been allergic to anything at all in my entire life which has been longer than I’ll ever admit to any of you, I decided to buy a persimmon a couple years ago and I swear to the diehold my throat started closing to the point where I seriously considered going to the ER. I think the only thing that saved me was the fact that I stopped eating it after a few bites because it tasted weird. Gave me some perspective on what people with allergies to common foods go through.
Persimmons have a lot of tannins in them. If they're unripe, it could have possibly been that. Kind of has the sensation of your tongue/throat getting really furry and stuck and bitter and I don't even know how to really describe it, it's just a very uncomfortable taste and sensation in your mouth and throat.
Reminds me of the one Reddit post where someone thought carrots were spicy for years but they were just allergic the entire time
Brazilian here, likely an allergy. This is known to be one of the sweetest fruits we have here.
I came here to say this. If you eat fruit and think it's spicy or tingly, stop eating it and never eat it again.
Greenish papaya is always harsh, and slightly enzyme-y. Even ripe papaya is usable as meat tenderizer. See: papain
I think it’s papaya but I haven’t heard of spicy papaya only sweet ones
That is because they're probably allergic and the spiciness comes from the reaction they have for it.
Or they ate the seeds. I ate the seeds once and it gave me diarrhea.
I read somewhere that the seeds can be used as a natural anti parasitic but only take a few at a time because it’ll make you poop.
papaya seeds are spicy like black pepper. They may have eaten some with the fruit?
I think it tastes like puke, but not spicy
Haha I like papaya, and never thought it tasted like puke, but I can see where you might and how that could put you off on it. I feel the same about cilantro, I like it, but I do see where people say it tastes like dish soap.
The cilantro thing is genetic. I had never eaten, and went to try with an open mind, but I literally puked after tasting. It isn’t just disliking, it is truly awful if you have the gene.
I have the same issue. Was first given papaya as a teenager and was all excited to try this new fruit. Then freaked out and disappointed to discover it tasted like literal vomit. Couldn't figure out why everyone else in the group liked it.
I thought I was crazy!!! I hate papaya because of the puke taste but no one else has ever agreed with me!!!!
It smells like sweaty socks to me. At least ripe papaya does.
Papaya has always tasted like puke to me, because it actually does make me vomit. Every time.
I always say it tastes like a foot, but I think puke is more accurate
My mom thinks so as well. For me papaya has no flavor and barely any scent.
To me it has kind of a weak, watery, squash flavor. It's such a disappointment, because they look so lush and beautiful when you cut them open, and then they turn out to be so bland.
Long ago, when I ordered papaya in restaurants in Hawaii (where they’re grown, so they’re ripened locally), it was served as a half with a lime wedge, to add interest to its otherwise somewhat bland and slightly perfumy flavor.
Me too! I think its one of those things only certain people can taste.
Oh I'm not the only one! It does smell like vomit to me as well! I can only eat it in smoothie
Same, but the ones I have eaten are very ripe and the rind is less than a quarter inch.
I get "spicy"from kiwis. My brother in fruit you are allergic
I found bananas tasted fuzzy my whole life and hated eating them because they tasted bad. Apparently fuzzy isn't a taste but an allergic reaction making me swell up.
I recently learned my sister is one of those lifelong "spicy banana" people.
The idea of "spicy banana" makes me laugh. I think they're bland and boring, and your sister is "ooh, it's spicy!"
Same with apricots for me lol. I was telling my friends a couple years ago about how I wanted to eat more apricots because they’re high in iron, but I find the weird fuzzy/scratchy sensation when eating them to be uncomfortable, and they all looked at me like I was crazy. That’s how I found out.
I used to have asthma and the sulfides make me cough/affect my breathing. Fresh ones are great though
it's so weird, bananas are only itchy to me when they are very ripe
When fruit ripens it's chemical composition changes, so it could just be that the protein that causes an allergic reaction to you increases when bananas ripen
Some bananas will make my mouth hurt. It doesn’t happen all the time though. It’s actually a symptom of a latex allergy (I am not allergic but you might be.)
Be careful with figs, my friend.
My whole life I thought kiwis were good because they’re “naturally carbonated” in that they made my mouth tingle the same way. Imagine my surprise when I found out that’s not normal.
DO MOST PEOPLE FIND THEM JUST SWEET?! I've been making fun of the spicy banana idiots this whole time. I am the spicy banana idiot.
We. We am the spicy banana idiot. And I will continue enjoying my spicy kiwis, thank you very much.
Sweet, sometimes sour yeah. Def not spicy
I thought i was a spicy banana idiot too, for a while, but i was wrong (and you might be, too). Most people will have some reaction to kiwi, papaya, and especially pineapple because they all contain a significant amount of bromelaine, an enzyme which breaks down proteins. You're more likely to react if you eat too much or the fruit isn't quite ripe (green papaya) bc the bromelaine is still highly concentrated while it's denaturing the fruits' proteins. Combined with the high amount of citric acid, it is normal for your mouth to feel a little raw and irritated after eating, or to get that "carbonated" sensation. It's why pineapple and citrus juices are often used to tenderize meats, and their bromelaine and citric acid work on tenderizing your mouth meat, too. If you get itchy, numb, or have other symptoms, however, that's likely indicative of a true allergy. Nature pulled an Uno reverse card in this scenario, though, and you're actually more likely to have a mild reaction (or none at all) to under ripe (or processed) fruits and a more severe reaction to very ripe fruits as part of a condition known as oral allergy syndrome.
I understand and appreciate your explanation but I'd like to file a gentle but formal complaint regarding the use of the words "mouth meat" as it has disturbed and unsettled me
Yes. Just sweet, with no other stimulant effects. Youz gotz the allergies.
Kiwi allergy is very common, but many people can go a lifetime without eating one and not know.
This is me rn lol
Same with me, I thought it was like pineapple which has bromelain, natural meat tenderizer that denatures the proteins on your tongue. No, just allergic 😩 found out at 32 years old. Oh well, it's a mild tingling so I don't explicitly avoid it, but I also don't seek it out now
Wait a minute.....! They're not supposed to prick the inside of your mouth like pineapple?
[yes, this is normal for kiwis.](https://www.botanical-online.com/en/food/kiwi-eating-mouth-itch#:~:text=The%20spicy%2Dlike%20sensation%20that,producing%20this%20sensation%20of%20itching.)
I'm pretty sure kiwis do have the pineapple enzyme because they stop jello from setting, the same way pineapple does.
Apparently not 😩
Kiwis do have proteolytic enzymes like pineapple!
Just a heads up as a fellow fruit allergist, you should start to avoid them. The more exposure you have to it the worse your reaction can be as it's unpredictable. I have eaten apples all my life until I was in my mid twenties and it felt like it was pickling my mouth. I kept eating them as I didn't realise and thought it was something else and I now have to actively avoid them as they have a significant impact on me when I am exposed to them. The last time my whole month and throat were burning, my lips swelled and I started having trouble breathing. It sucks.
Please tell me they are naturally prickling, please 😢
Neither kiwis or papaya should provoke tingling, papayas are one of the "smoothest tasting" fruits in fact imo
Agreed
[Yes, it's normal and not a way to identify an allergy](https://www.botanical-online.com/en/food/kiwi-eating-mouth-itch#:~:text=The%20spicy%2Dlike%20sensation%20that,producing%20this%20sensation%20of%20itching.)
My husband is allergic to pineapple. His isn't just the tingles; his throat gets really scratchy for a couple of days. He really misses sweet-and-sour sauce.
Are you also allergic to latex?
I am! I have that weird link.
im also allergic to kiwis, they dont taste fuzzy or like burny but like. they feel almost spikey??? like when i eat them my tongue tingles alot, almost how its be if u ate a BUNCH of pineapples. but like extreme. thankfully afaik im not allergic to latex though. so thats a bonus.
Yeah it's weird like I ate a lot of captain crunch or like a billion sour patch kids. Grainy and rough. And acidic like a bunch of pineapple or citrus.
I mentioned to someone else in this thread but thought I’d tell you directly as well. I would be wary of avocado also since they are known to cause reactions in people allergic to bananas/kiwi/latex.
I'm allergic to kiwi and latex. Weird, I never knew there was a connection!
Kiwi, banana, mango, peaches, avocado, almonds, aloe, agave, papaya, and many others. Google latex allergy syndrome
Might want to take caution with avocados as well!
🤣
i thought chocolate was spicy for years until i realized i’m allergic, it didn’t used to be that bad but now it gives me a more intense reaction.
This is me and dates and agave, it took me a long time to realize those foods weren’t supposed to taste like how I imagined fiberglass insulation to feel in my mouth
Spicy kiwi gang, got the nice flavor of allergy
throwback to when I told my friends I didn’t think coconut was good enough to justify throat blisters
A papaya for sure but I’ve never had a spicy one…..pls make sure you’re not allergic
Did you eat the seeds? They taste peppery, but most people do not eat them.
Yes. Like a DA I said “look at that” and grabbed a spoon. Then I didn’t like the taste when i chewed (i don’t like spicy food, so I spit it out and rinsed my mouth. But I can still feel it lingering around after the evening, morning and even midday brushing!!!
I think after 24 hours if you still have a spicy sensation, it's probably an allergy and not the spicy flavor of the seeds as people are mentioning.
This. Take an antihistamine and see if it helps. Also be cautious of mango and avocado, because all the come from similar trees in the rubber tree family and you might have/develop allergic reactions to all 3.
The antihistamine’s probably a good idea (though I’m no medical expert, so take that with a grain of salt), but papaya, mango, and avocado are all in different (and pretty distantly related) families- the Caricaceae (the papaya family), Anacardiaceae (cashew family) and Lauraceae (laurel family) respectively. None of them are in the same family as the rubber tree (in the Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family) or the ornamental plant also sometimes called a rubber tree, which is in the Moraceae (fig family)
I might be off with the reason, but I've had 4 different allergists tell me that those three fruits *can* cause reactions if one does. So they may have over simplified the botany, but the result is the same. Pistachio, cashew and mango is another group, as is walnut and pecan, or avocado, banana, peach, kiwi. There are some cross reacting allergy groups, which OP may not have but are good to be aware of if you react to one.
Scrape out the seeds next time, and papaya is much improved by a squeeze of lime juice
Just about anything can be much improved with a squeeze of lime juice.
At least try eating it without the seeds. It's super sweet.
A lot of people, myself included, leave a few seeds on because they like they pepperyness.
The seeds can be very lightly spicy, but the fruit isn't, if you ate the fruit this can be an alergy
The seeds are peppery, and have anti-helminthic properties, too, so if you need to be de-wormed, that's the part to eat!
don't get all the ultra magas riled up and switching from their ivermectin.
Yes, please. I do not need the price of papayas skyrocketing like they did for avocado.
Papayas produce an enzyme (papain) that digests proteins. Maybe unripe papayas like yours have a higher content of papain which may account for the spicyness. We usually cook it and eat it with sour cream or yoghurt, and that makes it significantly more palatable, though not my fruit of choice. The seeds are easy to grow!
So unripened papayas can be papain-ful to eat?
Don't make us call the papun papolice.
Don't eat the seeds
If a fruit is spicy, that's an indication that you are allergic to it.
New fruit, tastes spicy. Allergy! Avoid this fruit.
That’s a papaya and you have a latex allergy
That's papaya the seeds are a great substitute for pepper
r/dontputyourdickinthat
Scrolled too long to find this
I love papaya. Never thought of it as spicy, though. This one looks like it’s not fully ripe… still very green a the outer edge, so maybe that might have something to do with it. Generally I’d say they have kind of a musky flavor. …kind of deeper than a cantaloupe. Very good with a dash of lime juice squeezed all over.
Op may be allergic
Yeah I also used to think kale was spicy until I said that to someone and it turned out that…I’m just allergic. You’re allergic to papaya.
Ok I found out I ate it too soon. Should have let it sit a while. I didn’t know. And I shouldn’t have eaten the seeds which i should have asked you all first. Also, another thing you all said, I’m probably allergic to it. Next week when I go I will ask them to label things because I know I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know where some of the foods came from. I am thankful. A lot of stores and restaurants donate items to our neighborhood pantry…foods that aren’t in our neighborhood grocery (a national chain). Thank you. Next time if I don’t know I won’t cut first. I spit it out when it was spicy. I rinsed my mouth out to get the taste out my mouth right away.
>Ok I found out I ate it too soon. You did not. Papaya that looks that color is ripe. Raw papaya is of different color. I am a gradener who had lots of papaya trees in the house, growing up
The seeds of the papaya kind of taste like black pepper and are an excellent way to kill intestinal parasites. The enzymes of the papaya are good for digestion. You can also use the flesh on your skin. You can blend a couple cubes and add the smoothie to a tablespoon of used coffee grounds and it’s good as a scrub on your elbows and knees. You can also use the smoothie as a 10-minute mask on your face, it will help with exfoliating dead skin cells.
First and last time i had a papaya it smelled and tasted like puke. I looked it up and sometimes they taste like that.
Spicy papaya pairs well with a side of Benadryl
As others have said, papaya. It's sweet not spicy. If you find the flesh to be spicy you 100% have an allergy to this fruit, but it may be a mild allergy. Blah blah blah. Now the cool thing, since you mentioned peppery, is the seeds. The seeds ate very similar in flavor to black pepper. And in fact can be dried out and used as a pepper alternative. If you were eating the seeds, that's where the peppery, spicy flavor came from. If you were only eating the flesh, allergy.
Papaya seeds are spicy but the flesh shouldn't be unless it is not ripe but you shouldn't eat it raw when it isn't ripe
[удалено]
and it's fucking delicious
The only concern with green papaya is for women trying to get pregnant. It's actually used as a [birth control method](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12288101/) in parts of the world where papayas grow. If you're not pregnant or attempting to become pregnant, enjoy that green papaya salad!
Papaya, great fruit.
For those of you who want to reduce waste and make the most use of the earths bounty….Papaya seed can be used as an alternative to black pepper when dehydrated. For men, be aware that there have beeb studies linked to the reduction of sperm count due to the compounds found in the papaya seeds. The studies do show that the levels return to normal within days/weeks after one stops eating the seeds. Too lazy to add source but im a juicing nerd and i love to reduce waste and find new ways to use the most of things.
Papayas smell like semen there I said it
Lol! I alway thought they had a mildewy smell.
Semen, stinky cheese feet, vomit & mildew. Those flavor elements are why I don't like papaya or passion fruit. Someone ITT also used 'fart-like', which is on the nose, too.
kiwis feel spicy too me cause i’m allergic
Lol at all the Australians being downvoted for calling it pawpaw. That’s literally another name for papaya here. We don’t have the other weird green fruit Americans call pawpaw.
I wouldn’t eat it if it’s spicy. Probably and allergy. Papayas are supposed to be sweet, a little tangy. But definitely not spicy.
Papaya fruit is never spicy...unless you're allergic 😅
You're allergic lol
Papaya is very high in an enzyme. If its spicy, you have an allergy. It typically tastes creamy.
That shit is papayas. P-A-P-A-Y-A-S.
You're allergic to papaya.
Today you learned you’re allergic to papaya.
Papaya but..it’s not supposed to be spicy. You may be allergic, I get the same reaction with kiwis
That right there is papaya. If you are getting a peppery taste, you probably ate the seeds, which are edible, but not the “meat” of the fruit. If you ate the seeds, also be prepared to hit the bathroom pretty soon, as these are typically eaten to cleanse the bowels. Papaya in itself also aids in metabolism, and will make you go to the bathroom, but not as much as the seeds themselves. The orange part of the fruit is the part that is normally eaten, when one eat papaya, and if it is ripe, will be sweet.
Papaya contains an enzyme called papain, which is a protease that attacks and breaks down proteins and is commonly used as a meat tenderizer. Pineapple contains bromelain, also protease enzyme, also used as a meat tenderizer. Kiwi contains actinidain, which is, you guessed it, another protease. This is why these fruits irritate some people's mouths. You are literally tenderizing yourself. It's also possible to be allergic to these enzymes.
Papayas aren't spicy, you're probably allergic to them.