A quick guide to buying and eating everyone’s favorite fruit: mango

CAIRO: Known to man for over 4,000 years, the mango has been at the top of the favored tropical fruit list with its mouth watering taste and aroma.

But this doesn't mean that every piece of mango in the market is a culinary delight. There are various secrets you need to know before eating mango or going mango shopping.

Born in India, the green long-shaped hindi is considered to be the first type of mangoes to be found in Egypt, followed by alphonse, eweis, zebda, taymour, sinara, El-khad El-gamil and sukkary.

Among the different types of this aromatic fruit, eweis is considered to be the most expensive in Egypt, while sukkary is the cheapest.

“Eweis has a very thin fragile seed with a leathery skin," says Mohamed Saber, a fruit seller. This type, he explains, contains more of the mango flesh and minimum space for the seed. "Therefore, it is considered expensive in comparison to other fruit types. One kilogram of eweis may cost up to LE 15.”

Sukkary, which literally means sugary is found mostly in Ismailiya governorate, and one kilogram costs only LE 3, he adds.

Zebda, which translates as "butter," and sukkary are always used for fresh juice, ice cream, milk shakes, jams and jellies. On the other hand, alphonse, sinara and other types are commonly used for eating or as ingredients in fruit salads for their firm structure.

The selection of mango, however, doesn’t only depend on the color; according to Saber, people should also check the smell and the firmness of the fruit.

“Some green-colored mango taste very sweet, so the green color is not an indicator of a bad mango like in other fruits, where the green color indicates immaturity. Also, the dense structure and the fragrant smell of the mango determine how good it is,” says Saber.

Apart from its taste and smell, the mango, as a fruit, is extremely nutritious.  It is very rich in vitamins, especially A and C; and includes some minerals such as calcium, manganese and a high amount of potassium. It also acts as an anti-oxidant.

The mango contains a certain enzyme that acts as a digestive aid that creates a feeling of satisfaction after eating it.

Mango contains a high percentage of the body’s daily fiber requirements, so it is useful for energetic and active people.

But there is a small price to pay for all its benefits. Mangos are also rich in fat, sugar and calories. Consuming unreasonable amounts of mango can lead to health risks.

Eating four to five mangoes per week is considered a reasonable and acceptable amount.  Given how delicious they are, it may be tempting to sneak in a few extra bites.