Mangoes

Asian origins

Mango trees originated in the foothills of the Himalayas of India and Burma and have been cultivated in that region for at least 4,000 years, providing welcome shade in many a garden.

For centuries, children have counted the days until they could scramble up into their lush boughs to pick the first of the fruits in March. Cooks, meanwhile, quickly gathered some of the plump unripe mangoes for highly spiced, salty pickles.

As a result, Asia has an infinite number of mango varieties, each grown according to the needs and tastes of the local population. In North India, for example, at the height of the summer heat, you can buy tiny fibrous mangoes that you squeeze in your hand, then pierce and suck out their refreshing sweet juice (no cardboard carton required).

Shapes, sizes and colours

Mangoes are now grown in many tropical and sub-tropical regions and come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colours. They can be round, oval, kidney-shaped or egg-shaped, with yellow, green, red or purple-flushed skin. Their stones can be large or small, their skin can be thin or thick and their flesh yellow or orange, with varying degrees of fibrousness.

Thin-skinned mangoes are best for eating raw or, when unripe, using in chutneys. Thick-skinned mangoes are better for South American-style salsas and European-style puddings. Try them mixed into a pavlova topping or chopped into fruit salads. If not fully ripe, it's worth letting them ripen on your windowsill to maximise their flavour. They're ripe when they gently give at their stem end. Colour isn't a reliable indication of ripeness because some varieties remain green even when ripe. Mangoes should be kept at room temperature, rather than chilled, to maximise their flavour.

The majority of Asian mangoes have a delicate skin and a short shelf life. For that reason, they're flown into Britain (mainly from India and Pakistan), so are more expensive. The thicker-skinned varieties, such as Keitt and Kent, are shipped in by sea year-round. Importers follow mango seasons from country to country. The chief exporters of thick-skinned mangoes are Puerto Rico, Mexico, Israel, South Africa and Peru.

A seasonal treat

Every April, UK city dwellers with a taste for mangoes look out for tell-tale stacks of mango boxes in Asian and Middle Eastern shops. The first to arrive are usually Alphonso mangoes from India. Packed six to a box amid crumpled paper and glittering strands of tinsel, the fruit is eagerly inspected to ensure that it's not bruised, too green or over-ripe. Alphonso mangoes should be golden-yellow, plump and fragrant.

Aficionados lovingly wash and dry their mangoes before slicing the flesh off the stone in four segments, the larger two of which are then cut in half. Intense pleasure lies in immediately sucking the flesh first from the skin, and then from the stone.

Much of a mango's delicious flavour is in the aroma that's released into your mouth as you gently bite the flesh off the skin - so eating peeled, diced mango flesh, though good, is just not as delicious. The flavour of thin-skinned mangoes quickly deteriorates once they've been cut, so it's important to only slice a mango at the last moment.

Varieties and seasons

Everyone has their favourite type of mango although there's no doubt that some of the Asian varieties have a particularly fine flavour and soft, non-fibrous texture. Below is a guide to some of the main mango varieties and their seasons, but it's worth experimenting because some supermarkets now sell what they consider to be top-quality varieties throughout the year.

• Alphonso (April to June), mostly from India, is often described as the king of mangoes. These thin-skinned fruits are undoubtedly delicious with their intensely flavoured, fragrant, sweet, juicy and meltingly soft flesh.
• Chausan (June to August), from Pakistan, has a thin yellow skin streaked with green and the sweetest of sweet, smooth-textured flesh. It is sometimes called Honey.
• Keitt and Kent (year-round), the best known thick-skinned mangoes, are modern varieties, developed in Florida in the early 20th century and widely sold in supermarkets. They come from South and Central America, The Gambia and other places. They're more fibrous than Alphonso and Kesar varieties, with a stronger sweet-sour taste that works well in Caribbean-style salsas.
• Kesar (May) is a wonderfully sweet, juicy and aromatic thin-skinned mango from India and Pakistan.
• Maya (mid-July to August), from Israel, has a thick yellow-blushed skin that hides sweet juicy, smooth-textured flesh.
• Nam Doc Mai (February to March) is a thin-skinned sweet juicy fibreless mango from Thailand. In Thailand this variety is usually eaten ripe, but in other countries, it's often sold unripe for recipes requiring green mangoes. These can be found in most oriental supermarkets.
• Tommy Atkins (year-round) is another thick-skinned mango that was developed in Florida and is now grown in South and Central America and The Gambia. It has a light fruity flavour and a moderately fibrous texture.

By the box

If you're fortunate enough to land yourself a box of ripe mangoes, but don't manage to eat your way through them all, swift action is required. Peel the fruit, cut away the flesh and purée it. Turn the purée into a delicious fool or freeze as a mango sorbet, ice cream or mousse. You may need to add a little lime juice to cut through its abundant natural sweetness. Alternatively, you could have a mango-fest by flavouring a lassi or smoothie with its purée to serve with dainty pastries scented with rosewater or pistachios.

Recipes

The deep-orange colour, smooth texture and intense flavour of ripe mangoes is unbeatable in sweet dishes, while sharp green mangoes are a natural with chillies and lime. Experiment with the full range of flavours with these recipes:

Starters, snacks and sides

• Mango, lobster and ginger soup by Jon Ganna
• Mango prawns by Ken Hom
• Onion bhajis with mango chutney by James Martin
• Mango and pomegranate salsa by Charulata Kohli

Main dishes

• Five-spice mango chicken by Mary Berry
• Grilled rack of lamb with mango salad and mint chutney by Atul Kochhar
• Lamb spring rolls with mango salsa by James Martin
• Hot and sour smoked trout salad with cashews by British Trout Association
• Spiced salad of braised beef with roasted rice by John Torode
• Ayam golek (spiced chicken with coconut cream and rojak salad) by Tom Kime
• Mango curry by Madhur Jaffrey from Flavours of India
• Chickpea curry with green mango and pomegranate by Sejal Sukhadwala

Drinks and desserts

• Mango parfait with passion fruit and meringue stacks by James Martin
• Coconut sorbet with mango tarte tatin and chilli caramel crisp by James Martin
• Mango and orange mousse with baked bitter chocolate mousse by Sandra Tate
• Fresh mango sorbet by James Martin
• Chilli and mango Margarita by Wayne Collins
• Mango lassi by Manju Malhi
• Mango smoothie by Anjum Anand