�slobbering all over the place�

We have two varieties of Cultivated Mangoes (edible raw); Pirie and Hayden. We also have them growing wild in vacant fields and their fruit makes excellent chutney. About the allergies to those who are poison ivy sensitive, the same toxins in the milky sap of poison ivy exists in the skins of mangoes also. Problems can be avoided by peeling them with rubber gloves on (which I do anyway) and being sure you get all of the peel off down to the soft flesh of the fruit. Occasionally a hyper-allergic person will not have any problem with their first consumption of mangoes, but on the subsequent ingestion with go into anaphalactic shock and die if not immediately treated. It is a good idea to be tested by an allergist if you are Very allergic to poison ivy.

How did you beat me to it?! Musta taken too long to write my wordy intro. *lol* Thanks for posting. (Do you think The Man will be surprised?!)

Anyway, don't be peeling your mango in your Sunday best clothes because fresh mango will stain like you cannot believe. You have to use scissors to get it out.

You PEEL mangoes??? I eat the whole damned thing! I always like the skin best of all - it's sweet and chewy and gorgeous!

I can't conceive of this!

I take great offense to the titel of this topic - the most delicious fruit are of course the cherries grown around here! Anyway, mango is very nice, and if you throw it in a blender, you can do a lot with it... pour over ice cream or with sweet puddings...

Alexander, I think we must have an out of body experience somewhere between Hawaii and Hesse so we may try each other's most succulent fruit. Cherries will not be difficult for me...I love them, but do not know your local varieties. Have you ever had fresh mango? Still warm from the ripening sun? Put a bit of obscuring material over my title, and I promise never again to post any such broad-brushed comments again (whip...whip...ouch!) Ree, why does it not surprise me that a passion fruit seed eater would also eat the skin of a mango?! Tastes like pine trees and the sap is terrible for you. But, you are a grown lady and I shall not dispute the worthiness of this enterprise. I just will not follow suit. (You are a first in this category!)

Goodness, I'm rather surprised - I never even thought of NOT eating the skin, let alone that it may be bad for me. Too weird! But what about shrimp? My husband says one is not supposed to eat the whole thing - I eat the whole damned thing. I mean, how will it taste without the crackly bits, right? Or wrong again?

shrimp shells fall in with chicken bones on this one... some eat, some don't...

People eat chicken bones? And shrimp shells? Pardon the stupid woman, but i had never heard of it. I have now. Thank you.

I doubt you would run into it in academic circles... except the soft shelled versions and maybe some foreign cuisines, such as Filipino...

I, sir, no longer dine with the academics - I dine, when I am invited, with the jocks!

I was referencing the past, as you had... I didn't say anything about the present... (and gorgeous things can make the dining more enjoyable, no?) (somebody help...I got myself in a no win situation...)

The best way to cut a mango if you do not want slices (that hairy pit is something else which is an annoyance), Cut all the way around to the pit in one circle - like you were cutting it in half - then unscrew the halves using a spoon to help . Invert the skin so the friut sticks up. (You win every time, did you not know that?)

you can prepare avocados the same way...

Oooh, and do we have exquisite avocados here...thin skinned, no strings, small pit and no bitter after taste. They call them butter pears and each weighs about 3 pounds (.086Kg) each. They are never exported since they bruise so easily so we have to eat them all by ourselves =)

AVOCADOS!!!! Bring 'em on!!! Your way of eating a mango sounds truly excruciating, girl! The alternative is: Get a newspaper, and a wet cloth. Then dig in with teeth, tongue and claws until you feel ready for an hour long floss job.

Hour-long floss-job....*lol* you HAVE eaten mangos.....Sheesh! That's the worst part of the entire deal!

I agree, but so WORTH it, don't you think??

Absolutely - every time. Eat it outdoors naked, is the best way - or in the shower if you are not into exhibitionism.

I'll choose the shower, I think. Or risk being reported to the swiss Thought Police.

back to the whole shrimps for a sec... Ernest Hemingway used to sit in front of a plate of shrimp and eat them whole... shells, heads and all! I LOVE MANGOES!!! I suck on the skin to get all the juicy juice off but I've never chewed and swallowed the skin...

I keep thinking of Chris Kataan's "mango" character on Saturday Night Live when I see this topic.

*lol* Terry, you are right! I guess the shower is the best option - being sticky and incarcerated for indecent exposure are not my favorite things to be.

I love this conference! Who'd have thought people would eat mangoes and shrimp with the rind/shells on? Sometimes I think I'm so programmed to do everything a certain way I've lost the capability to have an original thought! Eating asparagus with my fingers is about as crazy as it gets around here!

Chicken should never be eaten with your fingers. Your fingers should be eaten separately...or something like that. Whatever we do - it's all Mom's fault anyway! (I did not know these things, either! Who said computers are not educational?!)

I think I've learned more about life from a cultural standpoint using the internet than I ever learned in 16 years of education! That's frightening.

...No, that's progress! And, I am most grateful for it.

Have just consumed my first Hayden Mango of the season. Absolutely incredible flavor. I still think this deserves to be Eden's forbidden fruit! Too good for mere mortals...

Our favourites are African (of course) Indian mangoes! Our girls like eating them green rind and all. They grumble and refuse to buy the ones imported in the shops here as they are too ripe!!! My varaint of Marcia's way to eat mangoes is to cut in half, remove pip, then score in about three long slits, and four short ones across. that makes it into cubes, then you invert the skin and eat away. I get very little mess that way. Only way I know to eat them in company....... Trouble is, I love them, but they really upset my tummy.. *sigh*

House male tried to butcher mine that way and I ended up eating a lot of the fairy pit which I did not enjoy. We never eat the skins since they have the allergin in them the same as Poison Ivy. Beware!!!

The kids would be appalled if I told them not to eat the skins of green mangoes ....They only eat young mango skins, and have not had trouble. Maybe there is a variation in toxin in the different species...All the African kids eat them liek that too... Unfortunately mangoes deeply upset my stomach (the fruit not the skin), I have a similar problem with peaches, nectarines etc.

http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/kbase/crop/crops/i_mango.htm interesting ....

Wow, Maggie, these are some of the tastiest fruits. You want the mango?

I have never heard of eating them skin and all, and especially green ones. We pickle those! Or make chutney. MMMMMMangoes!

That's kids for you .......

I am concerned about your "kids" eating the skins. Therein lies the toxins which, like poison ivy, can cause severe allergic reactions and even death!

They don't do it now......

Of course they don't - Mangoes don't grow in England. Seriously, though, I was conserned. We have a few draths to Mangoes each year due to severe allergic reactions.

I'd correct that typing above but probably only make it worse. Time to crawl into bed...

We get imported ones here,...the indian mango kind ....but they don't taste the same as sun ripened ones....

I had great plans once to start a 'mango drying project' in Gambia. The mangoes ripen at a time when there is a lot of food around. However, by drying them they (and their vitamins) can then be available during the scarce food time. This is particularly important for children's nutrition. Dried mango is produced in small quantity and sold to tourists, but the local people do not use it!!! We were going to produce simple drying racks with screening (to keep off flies) as part of the community development project we were involved in. Alas, we had to leave before being able to put that into operation....

We have dried mango here and I munch on it all the time. Ours, insultingly, is imported from the orient!

Can you dry your own?

Dried mangoes are Lydia's favorite fruit. She has them for lunch every day--however, I have no idea where they come from.

Moroccan Chicken with Mango-Mint Relish Ingredients: 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro MANGO MINT RELISH 1 cup finely diced ripe mango 1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper 1/3 cup finely diced red onion 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint 1 seeded and minced jalapeno 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon olive oil 1. Place chicken in shallow glass dish. 2. In medium nonstick frypan, place olive oil and sesame oil over medium heat. 3. Add cumin, paprika, coriander, cinnamon and ginger; cook about 1 minute until fragrant. 4. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and cilantro. 5. Cool slightly and pour over chicken, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes. 6. In same pan over medium heat, saute chicken about 12 minutes or until fork can be inserted with ease, turning to brown on both sides. 7. Serve chicken topped with Mango-Mint Relish and garnished with mint sprigs and lemon slices. MANGO-MINT RELISH: In medium bowl, mix together all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

I have a whole bunch of dried mango - I tend to eat a lot of something for a while then get tired of it. It'll be going to ballgames with me this season so I am saving my appetite for it till then - that, and boiled peanuts and the eternal hot dogs.

I love it .. but cant eat it .. turns my insides inside out!

You and my mum both! Cantaloupe too?