Mangoes

Mangoes are my favorite fruit on the entire planet. And while there are beautiful and luscious mangoes from Zambales, Pangasinan, Guimaras and other parts of the Philippines, Cebu mangoes are my personal choice (a bias influenced by the fact I was born on the island)!

Mangoes are native to India, but they have been on our shores for hundreds of years, a period over which they have evolved into uniquely less fibrous, incredibly luscious specimens. I find that the best mangoes seem to come from terroirs or areas that harbor seemingly harsh conditions… often near coastal areas, with tough soil conditions and difficult fresh water access… Mangoes thrive on soil or rocks that drain quickly (limestone hillsides in Cebu, for example), and somehow manage to produce thousands of incredibly sweet and luscious fruit each season despite the difficult conditions.

There are dozens of varieties of mangoes now growing all over the archipelago, but perhaps the most common varieties that I enjoy are the carabao mangoes, Indian mangoes and apple mangoes. This summer, there has been a wonderful bounty of mangoes in markets, and I have indulged, as I do every summer.

Homemade mango ice cream streaked with mango preserves that we churned in an old-fashioned ice cream maker. Mango shakes with a whole mango or more in each glass. Sweet and sour mango pickles to enjoy with fried and grilled foods.

Green mangoes with bagoong or shrimp paste. Sweet ripe mangoes with suman or rice cakes. And once, at least once, every summer, biting into a hand-peeled and handheld mango out in the yard, savoring the flesh as the juices run down my forearm. Ah, the options are nearly endless, and mango season (traditionally around now, though mangoes bear fruit year round it seems these days) is definitely the highlight of my fruit calendar…

A few years ago, I trekked up to the mountains of Guadalupe, Cebu, where some of the best mangoes in the province are grown. I was stunned to see the thousands of fruit on each medium-sized tree. And in Cebu, from prime trees, each and every fruit is wrapped in paper (Chinese newsprint at that, why I do not know) cones to ensure that their skins are as blemish free as possible. I suspect this labor-intensive step is also to help warm the fruit to ensure maximum sweetness when they ripen. Traders “buy” the harvest from entire trees, just when they are fruiting, and sometimes suffer the loss when a storm or inclement weather damages the fruit.

So enjoy the mango bounty, eat heartily. And if you are inclined, save some for the rainy days ahead… In recent weeks I have purchased mangoes from Zambales at just P30 a kilo (for small unattractive looking ones that nevertheless taste great) to make into preserves and jam. I have also purchased mangoes in bulk to peel and freeze in portions perfect for mango shakes. Mango ice cream should last a few weeks as well. Or if you can’t be bothered with all that, simply pick out a perfectly ripe mango, chill it for just 20-30 minutes (they actually taste more intense when unchilled), slice it, scoop up some of the flesh and savor it just the way it is. Delicious.