The World’s Most Popular Fruit By Paula Szilard Quick, what’s the world’s most popular fruit? It’s not the apple, the banana, or the orange. It’s the mango! Over 20 million tons are grown annually in the world’s tropical and subtropical climate zones. Here in Colorado, it just wouldn’t occur to people that the mango could be so widely liked because the fruit available in local markets is usually unripe and lacking a fully developed flavor. Since my husband and I moved to Colorado from Hawaii, we purchased mangoes from time to time always hoping that we would get some good ones only to be disappointed. Finally, a couple of years ago I found some Ataulfo mangoes from Mexico at K Mart sold as “Champagne Mangoes.” They smelled ripe so I decided to give them a try and they were indeed perfectly ripe and their delicate, spicy sweet flavor, was truly delicious. You can also find them in Asian groceries and Costco. Ataulfo mangoes are generally smaller and flatter than other varieties and have a rich golden color inside and out and a strong fruity aroma when ripe. The flavor has been described as spicy with overtones of citrus. To me they taste slightly resinous like the Pirie mango which is an ingredient in the popular dessert known as mangoes and sticky rice. The texture is soft and buttery and the pit is flat and thin like a disc so there is much less waste. Since these mangoes are perfectly ripe when yellow, American shoppers need to reevaluate their penchant for fruits with a red blush which is not necessarily an indicator of ripeness! Ataulfo mangoes are ripe when they are a uniform golden color and when the skin yields slightly to the touch. A few small wrinkles on the skin can also be a sign of ripeness. Mangoes are nutritionally superior fruits. One fruit weighing about 7 oz.(edible portion only) has a huge amount of vitamin A (about 8,000 IU),roughly the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C, and a sprinkling of other vitamins and minerals such as potassium (1/2 as much potassium as a banana of the same weight). As nutritious and delicious as they are, they can be messy to eat. One old timer in the produce industry was once quoted as saying that the best way to eat a mango is in the shower with no clothes on. The Ataulfo mango is indeed a relatively new variety. It is named after Ataulfo Morales, who in 1966 found this hybrid seedling of the Hawaiian strain of the Manila mango on his plantation in Veracruz, Mexico. According to the National Mango Board (www.nationalmangoboard.com), the fruit is available in the United States from mid-November through mid-January and again from mid- February to mid-August. However, I have not found them in local stores for such extensive periods. The U.S. supply comes chiefly from Mexico and to a lesser extent from Ecuador and Guatemala. In Mexico Ataulfo mangoes are grown in the southern coastal areas, principally in the state of Chiapas. All mangoes are susceptible to chilling injury. The Ataulfo mango is no exception which. This can happen during shipping or storage. You will see brownish-black areas on the flesh when this happens and the flavor is also adversely affected. The ideal post-harvest storage temperature for mangoes is 55∞F. Refrigerators generally keep fruit much colder and prolonged refrigeration can result in chilling injury. We usually eat our mangoes fairly rapidly so we don’t refrigerate them. Recently a friend of ours was visiting from Hawaii. This mango connoisseur loved the Ataulfo mango, particularly when we ate it for breakfast in the following oven pancake recipe. If you see the fruits in the market, you may want to try making it for breakfast on a weekend. Mangoes are in the Anacardiaceae family, along with cashews, pistachios, and poison ivy. If you serve this dish to guests, find out first if they are allergic to mangoes. Many people are. Unfortunate souls! Oven Pancakes with Sliced Ataulfo Mangoes (serves two) 1⁄2 cup white bread flour (usually labeled “better for bread”) 1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3⁄4 cup skim milk 4 large eggs Non-stick vegetable spray 3-4 Ataulfo mangoes Brown sugar This recipe is best made in a convection oven. I have not made this exact recipe in a regular oven, but my advice would be to increase the temperature by at least 25 degrees. The batter is runny, somewhat like a popover batter, roughly the consistency of heavy cream. You will need two nonstick cake pans measuring 9 inches across. Teflon is not a good choice because it is not supposed to be used at such high temperatures. My pans have a shiny, gray coating and are available in most supermarkets. If necessary, the recipe can also be divided in half. For the milk, just use 1⁄4 cup plus 2 tablespoons. Preheat convection oven to 450°F. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and the nutmeg to remove all lumps. Gradually whisk in the milk. Add the eggs and whisk just enough to mix. Generously coat the two nonstick cake pans with a vegetable spray, such as Pam, making sure you cover the sides. Divide batter evenly between the two pans. Bake for 10 minutes and check pancakes. They should be very puffy, golden brown, but not too dark. If not, bake 1 minute more. When you use a regular oven, the baking time should be about 15 minutes. Do not open the oven during baking. While the pancakes are baking, prepare the mangoes as follows: Start cutting diagonal slices out of each “cheek” until you are left with only the flat pit. Peel each slice and cut it into smaller pieces. Place pancakes on large plates. Top with mango pieces and sprinkle with brown sugar. Mmm! Delicious!

The World’s Most Popular Fruit

Paula Szilard

Quick, what’s the world’s most popular fruit? It’s not the apple, the banana, or the orange. It’s the mango! Over 20 million tons are grown annually in the world’s tropical and subtropical climate zones. Here in Colorado, it just wouldn’t occur to people that the mango could be so widely liked because the fruit available in local markets is usually unripe and lacking a fully developed flavor.

Since my husband and I moved to Colorado from Hawaii, we purchased mangoes from time to time always hoping that we would get some good ones only to be disappointed. Finally, a couple of years ago I found some Ataulfo mangoes from Mexico at K Mart sold as “Champagne Mangoes.” They smelled ripe so I decided to give them a try and they were indeed perfectly

ripe and their delicate, spicy sweet flavor, was truly delicious. You can also find them in Asian groceries and Costco.

Ataulfo mangoes are generally smaller and flatter than other varieties and have a rich golden color inside and out and a strong fruity aroma when ripe. The flavor has been described as spicy with overtones of citrus. To me they taste slightly resinous like the Pirie mango which is an ingredient in the popular dessert known as mangoes and sticky rice. The texture is soft and

buttery and the pit is flat and thin like a disc so there is much less waste. Since these mangoes are perfectly ripe when yellow, American shoppers need to reevaluate their penchant for fruits with a red blush which is not necessarily an indicator of ripeness! Ataulfo mangoes are ripe when they are a uniform golden color and when the skin yields slightly to the touch. A few

small wrinkles on the skin can also be a sign of ripeness.

Mangoes are nutritionally superior fruits. One fruit weighing about 7 oz.(edible portion only) has a huge amount of vitamin A (about 8,000 IU),roughly the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C, and a sprinkling of other vitamins and minerals such as potassium (1/2 as much potassium as a banana of the same weight). As nutritious and delicious as they are, they can be messy to eat. One old timer in the produce industry was once quoted as saying that the best way to eat a mango is in the shower with no clothes on.

The Ataulfo mango is indeed a relatively new variety. It is named after Ataulfo Morales, who in 1966 found this hybrid seedling of the Hawaiian strain of the Manila mango on his plantation in Veracruz, Mexico. According to the National Mango Board (www.nationalmangoboard.com), the fruit is

available in the United States from mid-November through mid-January and again from mid- February to mid-August. However, I have not found them in local stores for such extensive periods. The U.S. supply comes chiefly from Mexico and to a lesser extent from Ecuador and Guatemala. In Mexico Ataulfo mangoes are grown in the southern coastal areas, principally in

the state of Chiapas.

All mangoes are susceptible to chilling injury. The Ataulfo mango is no exception which. This can happen during shipping or storage. You will see brownish-black areas on the flesh when this happens and the flavor is also adversely affected. The ideal post-harvest storage temperature for mangoes is 55∞F. Refrigerators generally keep fruit much colder and prolonged refrigeration can result in chilling injury. We usually eat our mangoes fairly rapidly so we don’t refrigerate them. Recently a friend of ours was visiting from Hawaii. This mango connoisseur loved the Ataulfo mango, particularly when we ate it for breakfast in the following oven pancake recipe. If you see the fruits in the market, you may want to try making it for breakfast on a weekend. Mangoes are in the Anacardiaceae family, along with cashews, pistachios, and poison ivy. If you serve this dish to guests, find out first if they are allergic to mangoes. Many people are. Unfortunate souls!

Oven Pancakes with Sliced Ataulfo Mangoes (serves two)

1⁄2 cup white bread flour (usually labeled “better for bread”)

1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3⁄4 cup skim milk

4 large eggs

Non-stick vegetable spray

3-4 Ataulfo mangoes

Brown sugar

This recipe is best made in a convection oven. I have not made this exact recipe in a regular oven, but my advice would be to increase the temperature by at least 25 degrees. The batter is runny, somewhat like a popover batter, roughly the consistency of heavy cream. You will need two nonstick cake pans measuring 9 inches across. Teflon is not a good choice because it is not supposed to be used at such

high temperatures. My pans have a shiny, gray coating and are available in most supermarkets. If necessary, the recipe can also be divided in half. For the milk, just use 1⁄4 cup plus 2 tablespoons.

Preheat convection oven to 450°F.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and the nutmeg to remove all lumps. Gradually whisk in the milk. Add the eggs and whisk just enough to mix. Generously coat the two nonstick cake pans with a vegetable spray, such as Pam, making sure you cover the sides. Divide batter evenly between the two pans. Bake for 10 minutes and check pancakes. They should be very puffy, golden brown, but

not too dark. If not, bake 1 minute more. When you use a regular oven, the baking time should be about 15 minutes. Do not open the oven during baking.

While the pancakes are baking, prepare the mangoes as follows: Start cutting diagonal slices out of each “cheek” until you are left with only the flat pit. Peel each slice and cut it into smaller pieces. Place pancakes on large plates. Top with mango pieces and sprinkle with brown sugar. Mmm!

Delicious!