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Bangkok, Thailand – The other day while in Sparkles Bake Shop, the owner Sophie had me try a mango, grown by one of her customers, that she was experimenting with in her bakery.  It was truly extraordinary.  The potent aroma was reminiscent of flowers and peaches.  The flesh was soft and sweet, less fibrous than Haitian and Mexican mangoes imported to the U.S., with bright floral and grassy tones.

It’s mango season here in Thailand and the full range is on display from green to ripe, 10 baht/kilo to 80 plus, small and large and everything in between.  The mango I had in Sparkles was a rare variety so difficult to grow that it isn’t produced commercially.  Of course, you can find plenty of others in the markets, and it’s the best time of year to indulge in foreign favorite mango sticky rice (khao niao mamuang), simply ripe or blended in a shake.

You can buy it peeled and sliced in street carts or fruit shops, both ripe and unripe.  The first time I bought green mango, it tasted so raw that I thought the fruit vendor gave me a bad one because I was a foreigner.  Over time, I’ve come to appreciate green mango on its own, with a dipping packet of sugar and spice or julienned in a spicy, citrusy salad with lacey, crispy catfish on top (yum pla dook foo).  I’ve even discovered that I like the Thai mango pickles – sweet, sour and salty with a tender crunch.  Any way about it, it’s a good time for mangoes.

An Ode to Mangoes
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OW-pkaaYc4

Common Mango Dishes
Fresh Mango Sliced, Ripe or Green: look out for fruit carts on the street.
Mango Pickle: look for pickle vendors.  I’ve found some in the Pahurat textile market.
Dried Mango: found in any dried fruit store.  The outdoor dried fruit stalls in markets, like Pahurat, are cheaper than in the malls.
Mango Salad with Crispy Catfish: a standard on many Thai menus.
Mango Sticky Rice: found in restaurants.  There is a street stand, open 5 p.m. – 2 a.m., on the left among Sukhumvit Soi 38’s famous row of street stalls, but one of the most famous vendors is across the road.

Mae Varee Fruits Shop
1 Soi Thong Lor, Sukhumvit 55
02-714-4223