polpa

Polpa is a term used in Italian and Portuguese to denote the soft, edible flesh of a fruit or vegetable. It refers to the interior tissue that remains after removing the skin and seeds, and is commonly used in cooking and food labeling. In culinary contexts, polpa describes fruit pulp or purée used for juices, smoothies, sauces, and desserts, with examples such as polpa di pomodoro (tomato pulp) or polpa de laranja (orange pulp).

In botany, pulp refers to the soft tissue inside a fruit, comprised largely of parenchyma cells that store water, sugars, and nutrients. This tissue surrounds the seeds and forms part of the pericarp, its characteristics varying widely among fruit types. In many berries, the edible flesh is considered the pulp, while in other fruits the distinction between pulp, mesocarp, and endocarp becomes more nuanced.

Etymology and cognates: polpa derives from Latin pulpa, meaning flesh or soft mass. Related terms appear in other Romance languages, such as pulpa in Spanish and pulpe in French, with polpa continuing to be the standard form in Italian and Portuguese.

See also: pulp (English); pulpa (Spanish); pulpe (French).