The Season of Mangos (The CoastWatcher: Caribbean West)
News from the Honduras Bay Islands and North Coast
01 July 2001
By Pierre Renaldo, The Coastwatcher©

This is truly one of my favorite times of the year because the mangos are ripening by the thousands. Roatan is unique, having a wide variety of mango trees. The fruit comes in many different sizes and shapes, but they are all mangos and they are all delicious.

Some are small, about the size of a small pear, while others can grow to the size of a small watermelon. They are very tasty green, resembling the flavor of a Granny Smith apple.

I like them sliced and chilled with a squeeze of lime juice over the cold chunks. They have a heavenly flavor almost any way you serve them.

As you can well imagine, the local people have many recipes, many wonderful jams and marmalades, chutney, tarts , muffins. And mango foo. (This is not a misspell). When we mango on Roatan, we do it real serious.

Of course, there are also the beverages associated with mango season. You can get the 'frescas'; something like a milkshake but made with ice and milk rather than ice cream. Yes, there is also mango ice cream. But just as delicious, maybe even more so is mango foo.

But I think the Daiquiris have the edge on just about any fruity tropical drink I have ever tried. I mean to tell you there is hardly any fruit in the tropics that can top a mango.

Here is how I make a Mango Daiquiri:

Peel several large mangos and cut into slices that will easily fit into your blender. Then fill your blender about half way up with the slices, tightly packed. Discard the pits after you have chewed all the good stuff off of them.

Add 1 cup of ice cubes

Add 4 ozs. Ron Mathusala 151 proof white rum. (Cuban)
Or you may substitute your favorite brand. We can buy Cuban rum here but you may not find it in the U.S.

Add 1 oz whole milk or cream.
Or use 1/2 cup of coconut milk per the Fish Tea Recipe the June 2, 2001 issue of Coastwatcher.

Blend on puree setting for three or four minutes.

Pour into large chilled tumblers. Garnish with slices of lime and mango. Use your imagination. Just about anything will look and taste great.

To make the tarts, just make some of your favorite pie crust dough, form it into small pies and after baking to a firm and crunchy crust, fill the shells with mango slices to suit your fancy. Then just warm in the microwave for ten seconds and top with whipped cream. You will think you died and went to heaven.

Now the Mango foo. You have probably never heard of mango foo, but this delight is an import from Florida. And I am the dude who imported.( I did not bribe the Aduana to bring it in either).

Use 1/2 gallon of vanilla ice cream. Let is soften at room temperature until you can stir it.

Put several large slices of mango into your blender until it is 3/4 full. Then blend them on your slowest cycle for one minute or less, so that the blend is very chunky. Stir the results into the softened ice cream and re-freeze.

You will not believe the wonderful fresh fruit flavor. I really prefer this blend to mango ice cream. The more mangos you use, the richer the flavor.

I do not have a recipe for mango chutney, but I will ask my culinary experts at "Que Tal?" for some ideas. They are right on top of all the mango fun. Kim and Jacquie are top notch when it comes to the most delicious ideas.

Be sure to go there for lunch. And also if you crave a real American breakfast. These two delightful ladies will make you glad you stopped by.

The lunches are fantastic, so enter them onto your dance card when you come to Roatan. "Que Tal?" is on the second floor of the cute little building on the big curve of the paved road, that is at the main entrance to Coxen Hole. Look for the Triangulo Pulperia, and then turn around and look across the street.

A very unique characteristic of the mango tree is that the fruit ripens on different parts of the tree at different times. So you do not have to harvest all the fruit at once. You will find this to be a nice convenience, since you do not have to hurry to use all your mangos. You can have a fresh supply on a continuing basis.

I have never really kept track, but I think the whole cycle on ripening takes about six weeks. Mango trees abound on the western part of the island. They grow randomly around Coxen Hole, Sandy Bay and West End, and also in French Harbour.

Don't forget to see the July issue of Roatan Insights at: www.eroatan.com There will be some very important topics covered in that issue.

Questions or comments?

For questions and comments write to me at: elouis@globalnet.hn

Ciao
Pierre

By Pierre Renaldo, Mountain Coastal S.A,. General Contractors, Construction Management and Construction Consultants.