Mango Season

Mango Ataulfo-photo by Jenny Rose

I find mangoes a challenging fruit to eat. The shape, although, compact does not lend itself to easy eating like an apple or banana. Once peeled you are left with juicy deliciousness that if eaten as is presents messy challenges. It is not a fruit that is intended to hide away and be quiet like an apple that you can tuck into your purse for some reflective nibbling.

The mango is one is best enjoyed with others while delighting in the messiness of it all. It is a community-driven fruit dangling from trees along the Oaxacan coast, dropping onto the dirt roads, sometimes being placed in boxes for people to help themselves to as they pass. To eat a mango one must be fearless, committed, ready to dive in and relish the juicy, deliciousness down to the oddly shaped seed.

One of my favorite memories of eating mangoes while living on the Oaxacan coast was one afternoon while visiting the aunt of a friend. She owned a restaurant on the beach. We sat in plastic chairs under the palapa talking. Her niece showed up with a bunch of mangoes and a bag of a few bees.

We all peeled open the mangoes and sat there eating the mangoes with our hands . Absolutely deliciously sweet with a bit of a tartness and really juicy. Meanwhile, the aunt took the bees and holding them with her fingers let them sting her in areas where arthritis menaced her joints. Curiously I was watching as mango juice was dripping all over my hands and making a deliciously fun mess.

As already mentioned during the mango season they are dangle plentifully from the trees, you can find different varieties stacked up at the market ready for the eating. While in the city I buy my mangoes at the market or supermarket. Usually I purchase Ataulfo, Manila or Paraíso mangoes being partial to Ataulfo which to me is perfectly sweet and I like the texture which is a bit firm and not mushy.

With all the mangoes dangling from trees in Mexico and piled high in the markets during the mango season, you would think they are native but they are not. They were introduced to Mexico by the Spanish in 16th century via the Manila galleons and from Brazil through the Caribbean. Mangoes adapted well to Mexico's climate and soil, becoming a popular and important fruit, with various varieties cultivated across the country. 

Manila Mangoes- photo by Jenny Rose

Mexico is known for cultivating several mango varieties, including Ataulfo. It is a mango particularly well-known and even has an appellation of origin being officially recognized as "Mango Ataulfo del Soconusco, Chiapas" highlighting its importance in Mexican cuisine. 

Mango season in Mexico generally runs from late January through September, with peak availability between late April and mid-July. Different varieties ripen at different times and in different regions, but the southern states like Oaxaca and Chiapas are typically the first to harvest, with the season moving north along the coast as the year progresses. 

Mango Paraíso- photo by Jenny Rose

Besides being delicious they are also a nutritional powerhouse, rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, while also being relatively low in calories. A 165-gram cup of mango provides a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, folate, and copper, among other nutrients. 

They can be made into smoothies with bananas and a hit of lime, made into delicious salsas for fish and chicken dishes like tacos, cut up into slices and eaten with cream, or simply eaten by peeling back the skin and diving right in enjoying it in all it juiciness.

So dive in and enjoy mangoes during La Temporada de Mangos !!!

Buen Provecho!

sliced mango- photo by Jenny Rose

Here's a more detailed breakdown of the Mango Season

• Early Season (January-March):

  The season starts in the southern regions, with Oaxaca and Chiapas harvesting the first mangoes, including Ataulfos. 

• Peak Season (April-July):

  This period sees the heaviest production, with volumes increasing as the harvest moves up the coast into Michoacán, Nayarit, and Sinaloa. 

• Late Season (August-September):

  The season generally winds down by mid-July.