fruta bomba
Cuba
In Cuba the papaya fruit is called fruta bomba. If you say papaya, many Cubans will understand, but they use the word papaya for something different in local slang.
Meaning: tropical orange-fleshed fruit (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| fruta bomba | Cuba |
| papaya | understood |
Ask for un batido de fruta bomba for a milkshake or jugo de fruta bomba for juice. At a market una fruta bomba madura means a ripe papaya.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the rest of Latin America the fruit is usually papaya. In Cuba papaya is also a vulgar word, so saying fruta bomba is the safe and normal choice.
Did you know?
- Fruta bomba means "bomb fruit", and the name is used in Cuba because the plain word papaya has a rude meaning in local speech.
Examples in context
- Quiero un batido de fruta bomba.I want a papaya shake.
- La fruta bomba está madura.The papaya is ripe.
- Compramos dos frutas bombas.We bought two papayas.
Example conversation
Teresa buys fruit at a small stand in Cienfuegos from the seller Ramón.
- TeresaBuenas, ¿tiene fruta bomba?Hello, do you have papaya?
- RamónSí, está recién cortada.Yes, it was just cut.
- TeresaDeme una grande.Give me a big one.
