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MangoMangoes are on the of the most popular fruits in the world, only recently becoming popular in the United States being brought into California around 1880. They were first grown in eastern India and southern Asia in places such as Burma but most Mangoes are imported from Mexico these days. Still, about half of the mangoes used throughout the world are still cultivated in India. In Latin America and the Caribbean, they are as common as apples are in the United States. Mangoes range between 2 and 9 inches long and can be as large as four pounds. They are usually yellow-orange in color with some red and green in various spots. When fully ripe, mangoes are mostly green and yellow. They have a waxy and smooth skin and contain one seed, a pit. Some mangoes have a softer skin, much like a plum. The flesh is juicy and much like a peach with various fibrous strands running towards the pit. The flavor is rich and pleasant and high in sugars and acid, tasting like a cross between a peach and a pineapple. 
Mangoes are very low in calories, being mostly carbohydrate with very little protein or fat. They are a good source of potassium, beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E. They have a good bit of fiber and can help lower cholesterol, making it good for the heart as well. When buying mangoes, look for ripe ones which have a flowery type of smell. The skin should yield slightly when pressed, but if it has a lot of black spots or shriveled skin, it is over ripe. In unripe, store mangoes at room temperature to ripen and then store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Mangoes can be somewhat tricky to pit and slice. Hold the mango on one end, stem end down and cut down one side of the pit and then down the other side, then remove the pit. Score the flesh of the fruit being careful not to cut the skin and then slice off from the skin, or use a spoon to scoop it out as close as possible. Here's a good link with a video for cutting a mango: How to Cut a Mango. Serving Suggestions:
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