Every year, I wait restlessly for mango season to begin. Mangoes are among my favorite fruit; They are also indicators of long summer days to come.
I have been sampling this year’s crop on and off for about 3 weeks. After slicing into a pumpkin-colored Ataulfo last night, I am finally convinced that the first days of mango season have thankfully arrived!
M A N G O S E A S O N B E G I N S
Whether you like them whipped into a lassi or julienned into a slaw, it is easy to see why many consider the sweet mango to be king of fruits. Mangoes display a beautiful variety of reds and oranges, rivaling even the hottest sunset. They are saturated in fiber, antioxidents, and vitamins A and C. On top of that, they boast the most intoxicating perfume of any fruit known to man. Plus, there’s the taste… let’s not forget the taste!
Cebu mangoes, Banilad fruit stand, Cebu City
The best thing is when you get your hands on a perfect mango (Haden is my variety of choice). It is bright crimson, maybe with a smatter of black freckles across the top. It leaks juice when you slice it. The smell of tropical flowers and fruit waft everywhere.
Peel your mangoes very carefully without wasting any flesh. Treat your mangoes similarly to the way you handle meat. Then, slice and chill them in the fridge. After an hour, you will find that the nectar has redistributed, and that there is a pleasant snap that occurs when you bite down on the area between the flesh and the would-be skin. Delicious!
For mango purists like me, nothing can be done to improve on simplicity. But the fact still remains that mangoes are extremely versatile fruits; They are beloved because they make so many other things better.
Today will be about giving you plenty of mango recipes. Stay tuned for some wonderful inspiration.
*Images courtesy of New York Magazine and flickr user Farl
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