The Great Mango-Off

Photos taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.

Mon 05.18.09 - Yesterday morning, I conducted the great Mango Off to determine which was better the standard Mexican mango purchased at any SoCal grocery store or the fabled Alphonse Indian mangos that get shipped to LAX just after being picked and then distributed to Indian grocery stores that then sell out very quickly even though their prices are relatively high. A few days ago, I blogged "Travelling Mangoes: One from India, Two From Mexico" about purchasing two Mexican mangoes and one Indian mango at India Sweets and Spices in Tustin for the purpose of conducting a taste test.

As you can see from the photos above, I sliced the mangoes up, then put them in separate dishes and had my father come in without telling him which they were and do a taste test. After we both had thoroughly tasted the different mangoes, my dad said the following, "I am definitely a Mexican man, in more ways then one." He preferred the sweetness, even though the Mexican mango was fiber-full.

I am on the fence, as the two mangoes were quite different in terms of taste, levels of sweetness, and texture. The Mexican mango is a big sweet bomb, with a good mango flavor but little to no tangy taste, the downside was the fibers that get stuck in between one's teeth. The Indian mango was smaller, no fibers, the flesh was creamier, but it is in taste that the Indian mango distinguishes itself. To me the taste started as slightly soapy, then it was mildly sweet, and then a good tangy finish. The Indian mango tasted very much like the mangoes I had when I visited India.

Given that I was on my way to the airport and it was still quite early in the morning, I knocked on my neighbor's door and handed them the other halves of the mangoes and said I would get back to them later on their reviews. Off I went to the airport.

I called Earl, my neighbor, this morning to get his opinion on the mangoes, and he said,"I prefer the Indian mango, it had better texture, no fibers, more distinctly mango flavor. The one downside the Indian mango is its size, as it was small. Mexican was sweet, which it may have been better if fresher. But neither compare to the mangoes I have had in Hawaii or the Philippines, as they are quite large and flavor wise better."

So, of three Californians who have each done quite a bit of traveling and eating, the rating is:
1 person preferred the Mexican mango
1 person thought both were quite different and would buy either again
1 person preferred the Indian mango

Thus, ends the Happy Tastebud May 2009 Great Mango-Off.