Mangoes are the sweetest fruits around and are always plentiful when in season. Where I live mangoes grow everywhere: in the forest, by the river even at the side of the road. What is even better, is that a mango tree bears for many years. Some bear year round, so you are never without the crop, but most bear seasonally. Mangoes bear mostly during the months of July and August around the rainy season. It is mostly eaten fresh, green or ripe; or cooked like in curry mango or mango anchar. Therefore, no one needs to be told of the nutritional content of mangoes. They know it from the time a mango is eaten – 40% of the fruit is water, it has a lot of vitamin C and A, fiber and don’t forget the natural sugar. The health benefits of mangoes are tremendous.
There are many types of mangoes in Trinidad, with their distinct “Trini” names, such as Mango Julie, Mango Vere (Long Mango), Calabash Mango, Starch Mango, Mango Dou Doux etc., that reflects the passion we have for eating mango.
As mentioned before, there are many varieties of mango in Trinidad and Tobago, I’m sure If I go to name all this post will be very long.
Trinis certainly have a love for mango. We even have a folk song about mango that I can’t seem to forget (of course, I can’t forget, because it was drilled into into my brains at Primary school!). I unconsciously remember it every time I see a basket of mangoes.
I believe the lyrics goes like this:
Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes.
Mango vere, mango teen
Mango vere, mango teen
I want ah penny to buy mango vere, mango teen
Give meh ah penny to buy mango vere mango teen
Mango doo dou sou se matin Savez-vous all for me (x2)
Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes.
Mango vere, mango teen
Mango vere, mango teen
Ah want ah penny to buy mango vere, mango teen
Gimme meh ah penny to buy mango vere mango teen I want a penny to buy…….
Sounds greedy don’t you think ;0) Also, it certainly does not cost a penny to buy a mango today.
Hey, I’m on a roll here! While I was singing this song I remembered one for corn also, that we sang in school.
Me bu ee, (x2)
Get yuh nice boil corn,
Soft and sweet, soft and sweet.
Every morning at six O’clock Madeline passin’ by.
You could tell the time by de clock, Madeline passin’ by
Rain, sunshine, wet season or dry
Hear her voices cry, “Me bu eee…”.
Well that’s what I could remember…
Some recipes on this site with mango are:
Mango chow, Mango chutney, Mango Anchar, Mango-orange juice, Mango Custard, Mango Kewi Sorbit, Mango cake, (this one I have to try) Mango bread (courtesy of Sprangalang and the local bakers flour advertisement. Ha Ha). Mango is also preserved. In this form we call it red mango.
Preserved Red Mango
Mango is truly a versatile fruit when in the hands of a Trini. How do you eat mango?
That’s it for another post. Tomorrow, I will take a break, it’s Sunday, and Monday I will see you all with more trini recipes. If anyone has suggestions on recipes I haven’t posted as yet and would like to see it done step by step, email me. Already one person has asked for me to do sugar cake so that will be coming up soon. See you all!
I love mango starch and its been 2 yrs since i had one.
Here in Virginia i can only get mago julie.I usually eat it ripe jut like that or make a chow if i get some green ones.
OK recipe request here……do you have a good aloo pie recipe??And black/fruit cake.
I’m a trini and should know this but i don’t,fruit cake and rum cake….both the same?
Wonderful blog … the mangoes look terrific. We have some in Florida, but nothing compared to yours!
Denise
http://WineFoodPairing.blogspot.com
Hi Becky, Thank you for stopping by once more. I am sorry to hear that you haven’t had a starch mango in such a long time. I’ll have to eat one in your honor tomorrow, lol. As for the recipes, we’ll be doing the aloo pie soon; but I really wanted to post the black cake in November, in time for Christmas. But it seems I have to do it earlier. There is a slight difference between fruit cake and rum cake. However, rum cake is a dark fruit cake baked with rum soaked fruits, and immediately after baking more rum is poured over it. A fruit cake has just glazed and normal fruits not soaked in rum. So you can use the same recipe, but there are some adjustments in the liquids for each. A fruit cake can be either dark or white.
Thank you Denise for your comment. I will be passing by your blog soon. Thank you for leaving your signature.
Raz,
I bet you could come up with a “killer” sorbet with mangoes and a touch of that famous mango rum … LOL
Denise
http://WineFoodPairing.blogspot.com
Thanks for the explanation and for visiting my blog,i can’t wait for you to do the fruit cake!!!
I believe the other verse for the corn song is:
By d corner she set up shop
Madeleine passin by
Wit a grill and box and old coal pot
Madeleine passin by
Rain, sunshine wet season or dry…
I sang that in primary school
This is the very Wonderful blog about Mangoes. i like pakistani mangoes, i have tried these: Mango Anchar, Mango juice, Mango cake they are really very delicious, i can’t say in words, really i love mangoes too much
I love mangoes and the ones that remained in my mind from childhood is starch mango and calabash. I would love to get a calabash mango tree. They were so big I couldn’t finish eat it.
No problem! Thanks for your comment. 🙂
Just came across your blog an this post about mangoes; reminded me the mangoes we get in South India/Kerala. These would be known as the puli-manga = sour mango which would be heavenly when ripe! We cannnot buy these in the market…