 The
mango is a genus of about 35 species of
tropical fruiting trees in the flowering
plant family Anacardiaceae, native to India
and Indo-China, of which the Indian Mango M.
indica is by far the most important
commercially.
Generally, once ripe, they are quite juicy
and can be very messy to eat. However, those
exported to temperate regions are, like most
tropical fruit, picked under-ripe. Although
they are ethylene producers and ripen in
transit, they do not have the same juiciness
or flavor as the fresh fruit. A ripe mango
will have an orange-yellow or reddish skin.
To allow a mango to continue to ripen after
purchase, store in a cool, dark place, but
not your refrigerator. Refrigeration will
slow the ripening process.
The small-fruited cultivars, usually
somewhat yellow in color, can be rolled on a
flat surface in the same way a lemon is
rolled before extracting the juice. It is
ready for eating when the big stone can be
rotated without breaking the skin. With your
teeth, rip off a piece of skin at the top of
the mango and place your mouth over the
hole. Squeeze the fruit from the bottom up,
as if squeezing toothpaste from the bottom
of the tube.
With any of the large-fruited cultivars of
mango, the operation is less hazardous:
place the fruit lengthwise on a table and
feel for the rather flat stone (containing
the seed), which should lie horizontally
inside the skin about midway through the
fruit. Slice the mango so that the knife
just passes over the flat surface of the
stone. Turn the mango over and repeat the
process, cutting across the other flat
surface.
With each big slice that has been removed,
cut hatch marks through the flesh just down
to the skin. Then, holding the portion
flesh-side-up, press the thumb on the skin
side underneath as if turning the piece
inside out. Many bite-sized pieces of flesh
will pop up and can be cut out to put into a
fruit salad or other preparation. This
technique is sometimes called the hedgehog
method because of the appearance of the
prepared fruit. An alternative to the
hedgehog method is to use a spoon to scoop
out pieces of the fruit from the exposed
"cheeks".
A simple way to eat a large mango 'as is'
involves using a knife. Start by removing
part of the skin and then slice out
bite-sized pieces with the knife. Remove
more skin to expose more flesh. Expect to
get juicy hands when eating the last part,
when there is no skin to hold with your
hand.
Another way to eat a mango is to simply use
a sharp knife to peel the skin completely.
Then make horizontal and vertical cuts on
each side till the flat stone is reached.
Slice off the flesh from each side of the
stone and then slice the remaining flesh
left on the side of the stone. This method
works best on mangoes that are ripe and
which have firm flesh.
Ripe mangoes are extremely popular
throughout Latin America. In Mexico, sliced
mango is eaten with chili powder and/or
salt. In Indonesia, green mango is sold by
street vendors with sugar and salt and/or
chili. Green mango may be used in the sour
salad called rujak in Indonesia, and rojak
in Malaysia and Singapore. In Guatemala,
Ecuador and Honduras, small, green mangoes
are popular; they have a sharp, brisk flavor
like a Granny Smith apple. Vendors sell
slices of peeled green mango on the streets
of these countries, often served with salt.
In Hawaii it is common to pickle green mango
slices.
Mangoes are widely used in chutney, which in
the West is often very sweet, but in the
Indian subcontinent is usually sharpened
with hot chilies or limes. In India, mango
is often made into a pulp and sold as bars
like chocolate, and unripe mango is eaten
with chili powder and/or salt. In the
Philippines, unripe mango is eaten with
bagoong, a salty paste made from fermented
fish or shrimp.
Mango is also used to make juices, both in
ripe and unripe form. Pieces of fruit can be
mashed and used in ice cream; they can be
substituted for peaches in a peach (now
mango) pie; or put in a blender with milk, a
little sugar, and crushed ice for a
refreshing beverage. A more traditional
Indian drink is mango lassi, which is
similar, but uses a mixture of yoghurt and
milk as the base, and is sometimes flavored
with salt or cardamom.
Dried unripe mango used as a spice in south
and southeast Asia is known as amchur
(sometimes spelled amchoor).
Culinary Uses
The use of amchur is confined chiefly to
Indian cookery, where it is used as an acid
flavouring in curries, soups, chutneys,
marinades and as a condiment. The dried
slices add a piquancy to curries and the
powder acts as a souring agent akin to
tamarind. It is particularly useful as an
ingredient in marinades, having the same
tenderizing qualities as lemon or lime
juice. However, where, for instance, three
tablespoons of lemon or lime juice are
required, one teaspoon of amchur will
suffice. Chicken and fish are enhanced by
amchur and grilled fish on skewers, machli
kabab, is well worth trying.
The mango (Mangifera
spp.; plural mangos or mangoes) |
