Guilty Pleasures 1 – Mango
If these columns have a thread running through them then it is that the most
pleasure to be had from food is to be found in the local & the seasonal. All
good food has a season, but of course not all of those seasons visit the UK!
This is more true of fruits than anything else, I suspect - sugar-rich fruits
just need more ripening than we can give them.
So, some foods will always be imports. When I look at imports on the greengrocers
shelves I ask myself these questions:
- Does this thing have a UK season? There are lovely-looking Spanish broad
beans on the shelves right now, but I know the English ones are only a few
weeks away so the Spanish ones stay put;
- Is it a European road/rail freight item, or has it been flown-in? Ground
transfer is much less environmentally damaging than air, so stuff that comes
by ground is more acceptable;
- If it’s been flown-in has it come from a place where it is in season
now? And so, the mango…
Over the next few weeks the Indian & Pakistani mangoes come into season
and will start to arrive in the shops. By the time the season peaks the specialist
subcontinental food stores will be almost giving them away. So indulge and
enjoy for there is no pleasure quite like a ripe mango.
The flavour of a slice of perfectly ripe Alfonso mango is incomparable, and
it really is one of those rare fruits that is a perfect dessert on its own.
But elegant it isn’t – a sign that you have enjoyed a really great
mango is that your arms are sticky up the elbows and the front of your shirt
covered in drips of juice. Jane Grigson says that greengrocers used to advertise
mangoes with a poster that read “Share a mango in the bath with your
loved one”. There’s some truth in that, partly because it’s
such a messy fruit but also it’s a really sensual one. I asked an Indian
friend about the section in A Passage to India where Dr. Aziz says
to Mr. Fielding that he will find him a wife “with breasts like mangoes”,
and my friend simply chuckled appreciatively.
How to buy a good mango? It can be a challenge. If they are solid, like a
cricket ball, forget it; likewise if frankly boggy on receipt of gentle pressure – they’ve
gone over. After following those rules I find it impossible to tell the good
from the bad without actually sampling. The bane of mango-buying is fibrous
fruit – when you come to cut into it it’s like cutting through
a ball of wet wool. In contrast, a perfect mango will slice with a texture
like butter. At his point the combination of perfect flavour & luscious
texture is unbeatable.
So, apart from greedily consuming them from the hand in an unadorned state,
what else can reasonably be done to a ripe mango? Blitz them, maybe with other
fruits, into smoothies or with tequila, orange and lime juices for a mango
margarita!
Alice Waters recommends a fantastic hedonistic combination of mango & Sauternes.
Simply lay slices of mango on a plate, sprinkle with a little sugar and a judicious
shake of lime juice. Pour a few tablespoons of decent Sauternes over the whole
lot and then chill both fruit and wine until you’re ready for them. Sheer
heaven, and was perfectly good made with an Aussie late-bottled Gewürztraminer.
A somewhat inelegant slurpable dessert!
Finally, like many foods in season, nothing will really preserve the flavour
over a longer period, but homemade Kulfi is a pretty damn good attempt. Take
8oz pureed mango and process together with 3 or 4 oz of caster sugar, until
the sugar dissolves. Mix this with 8fl oz each evaporated milk and whipping
cream and add lemon juice until the flavour is perfectly balanced. Freeze in
ice-cream machine or freezer.
Andy Leslie, May 2007
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