Properties of mango: benefits of eating this fruit

EMango is a tropical fruit from the Anacardiaceas family. Oval shaped, inedible skin and variable in colour: between yellow, greenish and deep red, its main feature is its hard and flattened stone in the centre.

It comes from southeast Asia and the Himalayas, in the eastern part of India. With a juicy texture and sweet flavour, there are a large number of varieties of mango, but all of them share one main characteristic, its large water content. In recent years, its growth has expanded in Spain, specifically in Malaga, Granada and the Canary Islands.

Properties:

• Rich in fibre
• Rich in vitamins A and C
• Source of folic acid and vitamin E
• Source of manganese

Selection and preservation

Although we are often guided by colour when it comes to choosing fruit, in this case it shouldn't be confused, because the skin tone of mango does not indicate ripeness, just the variety of the fruit.

To choose those that are ripe, it is advisable to be guided by the smell. If it gives of a sweet aroma, then it is ripe.

As is often the case with tropical fruit, mango doesn’t cope well with low temperatures, so it is better to preserve it in a cupboard rather than the fridge.

 In the kitchen

As well as being eaten raw, its pulp can be used to make jams, jellies, milkshakes...

It also works very well in fresh savoury recipes as an interesting counterbalance, for example, in salads, ceviche or tartar.  Its flavour also combines well with meat, in this case mango is usually preferred in the form of chutney, a bitter-sweet preserve originating from India which is intense and spiced.

In addition to these uses, it can be used as a sweetener in dessert recipes or cakes.

If you fancy incorporating mango into your menus but you can’t bear to remove its pulp, here is some advice to peel it easily.