Mangos, raw

Ripe mango is eaten out of hand, sliced into fruit salads, blended into smoothies and lassis, or diced into salsas that pair well with grilled fish, pork, or tacos. Firmer, underripe mango is shredded or julienned for Thai and Vietnamese salads, where its tartness balances fish sauce, lime, and chile. The flesh ranges from fibrous to silky depending on variety, and its sweet, floral flavor also works well in chutneys, sorbets, and as a topping for rice pudding or oatmeal. The classic hedgehog cut, scoring the flesh in a grid while still in the skin, makes it easy to portion for a fruit platter without a knife at the table.

A ripe mango yields slightly to gentle pressure near the stem and often has a fruity aroma there; unripe mangoes can be left at room temperature to soften over a few days, then refrigerated once ripe to slow further softening. At 60 calories and 1.6 grams of fiber per 100 grams, mango is a relatively low-calorie fruit that still supplies vitamin C at 40% of the daily value, making it a useful way to round out breakfast or a snack plate. Its natural sugar content, 13.7 g per 100 g, means it also works well as a sweetener substitute in smoothies or baked fruit desserts, cutting down on the need for added sugar.