I read about this appetizer in African Cooking. The author described that when he was in Luanda, the capital of Angola, he would being his dinners with large, deep-orange papayas. He would eat them with the juice of an Angolan lime, sweetened by a few drops of port. It sounded like a charming and potentially beautiful way of starting a meal. Fortunately both papayas and limes were in season. As I served this as a starter, and wasn't sure if everyone liked papayas, I only served a slice per person rather than a whole papaya. If I was to serve it again (and I probably will), I'd probably serve 3 slices per person. We all liked it, even my husband who had previously claimed not to like papayas. I think the key is to have a very ripe papaya. The port goes very well with it, but you can also try madeira.

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Papaya with Port Wine

Ingredients

papaya(s)

lime(s)

Port or madeira wine

Instructions

Slice the papayas and arrange on a plate. Quarter the limes and put next to papaya. Sprinkle a few drops of port or madeira wine on the papaya, or serve it on the side.

Adapted from African Cooking