Appearance & Taste

In appearance the Mango fruit is oval, egg-shaped and usually has a length of between 2-9 inches long. The skin, itself, is smooth and coloured somewhere between a green, red and orangey-yellow (depending on the type of Mango and how ripe it is i.e. Mangoes are normally green when unripe).

On the inside is a large, flat seed surrounded by soft, golden yellow pulp. This pulp is the part of the Mango we usually eat and in taste provides a sweet, aromatic, smooth and luxurious flavour. Generally, Mangoes are extremely juicy and have a high water content, making them refreshing but, somewhat, messy to eat.

Where It Comes From

The mango must have warm, dry weather to set fruit. The top mango producers are considered to be India, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Guinea and Brazil. Each country grows different types of Mangoes.

The Mango which is known to be the “king of the mangoes” is the Alphonso Mango due to its rich flavour. This is considered to be the best tasting fruit in India and best tasting Mango in the world. (It is this fruit which is the inspiration behind our Suncrest Mango Juice Drink and we use this variety in our juice drink).

Health Benefits

Mango pulp is high in Vitamin A (as it contain beta carotene) and vitamin C. The darker the golden pulp, the more vitamin A it contains. Some people also choose to eat the skin as well, which is a source of calcium and Vitamin B6.

Uses

Apart from eating fresh:

• Mango fruit is widely used as an ingredient in a variety of cereal products, in particular muesli and oat granola.
• Used widely in Asian “chutneys” and sometimes mixed with chillies or lime to provide either a sweet and spicy taste or a sweet and sour taste.
• Mangoes are used to make juices/nectars both in ripe and unripe form.
• Mangoes are also used to make other drinks such as Mango Milkshake or, the more traditional Indian yogurt drink, Mango Lassi (check out our Suncrest Mango Lassi or our Suncrest Mango Milkshake)
• Mangoes are used to make deserts such as Ice cream, Pudding, yogurts etc

Fruit Facts

• India is by far the largest producer of Mangoes in the world and has been growing mangoes for over 4000 years.
• Mango trees are evergreens that will grow to 60 feet tall. The mango tree will fruit 4 to 6 years after planting.
• Over a 1000 varieties of Mangos exist
• Mango leaves are used to decorate the entrance of a household amongst Hindus plus also used in Indian prayers (known as Poojas) to propitiate the gods.

How to prepare to eat

1. Slice through the mango, close to the seed, to create two halves.
2. Hold one half with the pulp facing you and skin side down on a cutting board.
3. Take a knife and cut a criss-cross pattern across the pulp, down to, but not through the skin (repeat with other half).
4. Push from the underneath of the Mango (i.e. skin side), bending the mango backwards, so the centre pulp pushes up exposing the cubes
5. Cut off the exposed cubes to eat