Managing Mangos: How to Pick 'Em,
Nick 'Em and Lick 'Em

There are six varieties of mango commercially available in the US, but at this time of the year, Sprouts produce bins are likely to hold abundant Ataulfo (also known as Champagne) mangos and Tommy Atkins mangos.

The Tommy Atkins mango is the more widely recognized fruit. With their red-blushed skin with yellow, orange, and green accents, these mild, sweet mangos may be about the size of baseballs or softballs. The fruit tastes a bit like a more ethereal combination of a nectarine, an orange, and a pineapple, with a slightly fibrous flesh.

Champagne mangos are their lesser-known cousins. These golden-colored mangos have more of a kidney bean shape and are flatter — the pit inside echoes the shape. Ataulfo mangos are sweet and creamy, with a lack of stringy fibers, making them excellent candidates for purées.

First grown in India over 5,000 years ago, today mangos account for approximately half of all tropical fruits produced worldwide, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates. They're the national fruit of India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Mangos are high in Vitamin C; they also contain Vitamin A, B6, folate, and fiber. At approximately 100 calories per fruit, they're a smart sweet snack.

In Hinduism, Lord Ganesha is often depicted as holding a ripe mango as a symbol of perfection attained. How do you pick the perfect mango to attain optimal flavor? Color isn't always a reliable indicator so instead, look for a fruit that seems heavy for its size and that yields a bit when you give it a gentle squeeze. Mangos will continue to ripen at home, so you can select a fruit that's still a bit firm, knowing it will soften if left on your kitchen counter. You can speed up ripening by placing the fruit in a paper bag; don't refrigerate it until it has reached your desired level of softness. You'll want to enjoy your mango while it's still a bit firmer than a ripe avocado but softer than a ripe pear.

Instructions for slicing and dicing any variety of mango are the same. Begin by washing the mango's exterior. Remove a thin slice from one end of the mango so it will sit upright on your work surface. Find the bump along the narrow edge of the fruit — that is the mango's "eye" and the inner seed is always right in line with the eye. Holding the fruit upright, with its base on a cutting board, slice down along the side of the flat central seed or pit with a paring knife or chef's knife — you'll probably be able to feel the resistance through your knife. Repeat on the opposite side of the large center seed. This will leave you with two hemispheres of fruit, plus a pit that still has some juicy fruit clinging to it. Use your knife tip to remove just the bitter skin from around the pit, which may be fibrous, then carve off the remaining flesh from around the pit. Then working with one hemisphere, use your knife's tip to cut a grid pattern through the fruit without piercing the mango's skin. Push the back of the skin until the fruit pops inside-out and your grid looks more like a waffle or a hedgehog. Slide your knife along the edge of the skin to separate the fruit from the skin to yield diced squares of fruit. Repeat with the other hemisphere and enjoy!

For a video illustrating slicing techniques, visit www.mango.org/how-cut-mango.

You can certainly savor your mango solo. Mango slices can be enjoyed street-food style with salt, lime juice or chili powder. As mangos are natural meat tenderizers, they can serve as marinades for steak. Mango lassis, commonly found at Indian restaurants, combine mango pulp with buttermilk or milk, yogurt, and sugar for a satisfying, thick, sweet beverage that can help to balance spicy dishes. We also like fresh mango mixed into a salad with protein-rich red quinoa, tart/sweet dried cherries, crunchy toasted almonds, and fresh mint.