mangoe

Mangoes are an exotic fruit now available all-year long everywhere in North America. It invaded the market a couple of years ago, and I first bought one when I was 17. I guess I felt adventurous, so I decided to try one even though I had no idea how to eat it! Anyway, they soon became part of my weekly grocery list, and here's how I enjoy them the most:

Slice the mango so that the knife just passes over the flat surface of the stone. Then turn it over and cut across the other flat surface. With each big slice that has been removed, cut hatch marks through the flesh just down to the skin. Then, hold the slice flesh-side-up, press the thumb on the skin side underneath as if turning the piece inside out. Many bite-sized pieces of flesh will pop up and can be cut out to put into a fruit salad or other preparation. This technique is sometimes called the hedgehog method because of the appearance of the prepared fruit. An alternative to the hedgehog method is to use a spoon to scoop out pieces of the fruit from the exposed "cheeks".

In addition to being so deliciously tasty, mangoes abound with plentiful of good compounds, such as beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium, fibers, and probably many antioxydants not discovered yet... But there's something I'm really sure of, even though scientific researches haven't discovered all that has to be discovered yet: mangoes can definitely contribute to overall body's and mind's health!