Another Fabulous Fruit: Green Mango

Scholars believe Buddhist monks took mangoes on voyages from Asia to Persia in the Fourth and Fifth centuries B.C., and that the Persians subsequently took them to Africa in the 10th century. From there the Portuguese introduced them to Brazil during its 16th century colonization of the New World. And from Brazil the mango spread to Central America. Although there are strains of mango that are green when fully ripe — including the cambodiana, saigon, cecil and jacquelin — the green mango sold in the Guatemalan markets is a normal mango picked before ripeness. At this stage it has an extremely tart taste and less fibrous texture than a mature specimen. Interestingly, of all the mangoes made available for import, nearly 80 percent go to England and France.