Q: How do you choose, eat and store mangoes?A: Mangoes are oval or paisley-shaped fruits that are either green-turning-red (Indian) or green-turning-yellow (Philippine). The bright orange-yellow flesh is sweet, a little tart, and usually slightly fibrous (the fibrousness increases with the age of the fruit). In the center of the fruit is a large, flat, white, oval, inedible seed. The skin is thick and inedible, and like the sap and flowers, causes an allergic reaction in some people.
Mangoes can weigh anywhere from 8 to 24 ounces. They are used green or ripe, for eating out of hand, on top of desserts, or cooked in compotes and chutneys. They are also available dried, candied and frozen (just the pulp). Ripe mangoes are fragrant, firm but not hard, and either red or yellow. Mango season is May through October.
To remove the flesh from a mango, cut through the mango parallel to the seed, that is, on the flat side. Use the knife to skim the surface of the seed, cutting over it. Repeat on the other side; you should then have 2 slightly concave halves of mango. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the flesh down to the skin but not through the skin, making strips in one direction and across, making cubes of mango. Turn the mango inside out, forcing the flesh upwards to look like a blunt porcupine. Slice the cubes of mango away from the skin. If you don't want cubed mango, remove the flesh from the seed in the same way, but peel the mango. Then cut the flesh into strips or slices.
Mango flesh can be pureed and frozen; just label the bags and refrigerate for about an hour before freezing to make the freezing process quicker.
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