Mango
Flavour Profile
Explosively sweet, slightly floral and deeply tropical. Depending on the variety, you might get hits of peach, citrus or even a resinous, pine-like edge.
Green, unripe mangoes are tart, crunchy and more like a vegetable than a fruit.
Health Benefits
Lots of vitamin C for your immune system and to protect your cells. Also a good shot of vitamin A, which is good for your eyesight and keeps your skin in decent nick.
Chop them up and eat them fresh. Cooking just ruins good fruit.
Buying Tips
Ignore the colour. A red blush doesn't mean it's ripe; it just means that part of the fruit saw the sun.
Give it a gentle squeeze near the stem. It should yield slightly like a ripe avocado. Use your nose too. If it smells like a tropical holiday at the stem end, it's ready. Avoid any with shrivelled skin or black spots.
Storage
Keep rock-hard mangoes on the counter at room temperature to ripen.
Once they’re soft and fragrant, move them to the fridge to stop them from turning into mush. They’ll last about five days once chilled. If you’ve got too many, peel and cube them for the freezer; they're one of the few fruits that maintains a great texture after thawing.
Cooking Uses
Use them raw in salsas with lime and chilli to cut through fatty meats like pork or fish.
They make a brilliant base for dressings, hot sauces and sorbets. If you’re using them in a savoury curry, add them at the very end so they hold their shape and punchy brightness.
Forkin' Food Theory
Mangoes contain a compound called myrcene, which is also found in hops, lemongrass and basil.
This is why a mango isn't just "sweet fruit" flavour. It has a complex, peppery, herbal undertone that makes it work just as well with coriander and onions as it does with cream and sugar.
If you find a mango too cloying, pair it with something "green" like basil or mint to bridge that herbal gap.