My heart always skips a beat when I see mounds of rosy golden mangoes piled high at the market. If they’re ripe enough to emit a sweet, tropical smell, my knees get weak.
 
They were on sale the other day, no doubt because they were ready for immediate consumption and not likely to last much longer on the shelves.
 
This, of course, is a perfect scenario for an avid mango fan like me, and I was happy to relieve the market of a hefty armload of the perfectly ripe fruit.
 
Inside the smooth skin that covers each weighty oval, bright orangey gold flesh drips with succulent flavor: part juicy peach, part tropical sunset.
 
Can you tell I love them?
 
Mangoes are native to India, but have spread to grow in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Mexico is currently one of the biggest exporters of mangoes.
 
They’ve been cultivated for about 4,000 years and are said to be one of the world’s most popular fruits.
 
Mangoes are the national fruit of India, Pakistan, and the Philippines, and Bangladesh has chosen the tree on which they grow as its national tree.
 
Mangoes are distant relatives of pistachios and cashews, and they contain the same rash-inducing chemical found in poison sumac and poison ivy.
 
While not as common as reactions from the aforementioned plants, susceptible people may get contact dermatitis from the skin, sap, leaves or stems of mangoes.

In fact, during their primary ripening season, mangoes are the most common source of plant dermatitis in Hawaii.
 
Mangoes are beloved in cuisines around the world, particularly in India and Southeast Asia.
 
Mangoes are made into pickles, curries and chutneys. Green mangoes are often used in salads, sometimes with fish sauce, vinegar or hot sauce.
 
Dried mango is used in granola, trail mix and fruit bars, and sweet spears of it are sold in bulk at many markets.
 
Juices, smoothies, and ice creams are made with mango, and mangoes mixed with condensed milk are a favorite topping for shaved ice in the Philippines and elsewhere in Asia.
 
Perhaps you’ve tried coconut sticky rice with mango at a Thai restaurant at the end of a meal? In my opinion, the fresh mango in this dessert is a perfect vibrant foil to the gooey sweetness of the rice.
 
Mangoes may be used in recipes in place of peaches, such as in cold summer soups or warm cobblers.
 
A ripe mango should give a bit when touched, similar to a peach. While many mangoes turn from green to shades of gold, orange, or rosy red as they ripen, some types can be ripe while green.
 
If mangoes are not ripe when purchased, they should ripen at home if left at room temperature. This may take up to a week, but if you’re in a hurry, placing them in a paper bag hastens the process.
 
When mangoes are ripe, store them in the fridge to avoid their becoming overly ripened.
 
Once your mango is perfectly ripe and ready to eat, there’s the problem of how to best remove the flesh.
 
I recommend using a sharp knife to cut lengthwise as close to the middle as possible, avoiding the hard, white, flat pit within.
 
Do this on both sides, and then cut around the pit to get that last circle of flesh off.
 
At this point, you can scrape the flesh from the skin with a spoon if using for a smoothie or eating out of hand.
 
Otherwise, score the flesh in a crosshatch pattern. Flip the skin inside out to expose cubes of mango ready for cutting from the skin.
 
If you’re a “show me” person and learn best by seeing, there are scores of step-by-step instructions using photos or videos on the Internet. I’ve listed one such link at the end of the column.
 
As to nutrition, mangoes are full of it.
 
They’re rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant compounds.
 
A one-cup serving provides 100 percent of our vitamin C requirement and 35 percent of vitamin A, both important antioxidants. They’re full of more than 20 other nutrients, including potassium, vitamin E and vitamin B-6.
 
Scientific studies have shown them to be beneficial in a number of areas, including protection against colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers.
 
Today’s recipe is a tropical quinoa salad inspired by a friend’s sweet concoction of avocado, mango and sweetened condensed milk.
 
Mine is not intended to be a tropical dessert, as hers was; rather, it’s a healthy and nutritious side dish.
 
Its grain-like base, quinoa, is high in protein – a full 18 percent – and the protein it offers is complete, unlike many plant foods.
 
Lime, cilantro, peanut oil and mint combine to give the salad a tropical taste and island feel.
 
While I use two types of quinoa in the salad for color contrast, feel free to use the type, or combination of types, you like best.
 
Two other recipes are offered in addition to my salad: a mango chutney that’s fabulous with fish or chicken, and a healthy, tasty mango smoothie, perfect for breakfast on a warm spring morning.
 
And before I go, did you know that Indian paisley patterns were originally inspired by the shape of mangoes? I sure hope that doesn’t make you salivate the next time you spy vintage clothing from the 1960s. I can’t guarantee that I won’t.
 
Tropical quinoa salad with mango

¼ cup red quinoa
¼ cup traditional quinoa
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup water (for cooking quinoa)
Juice and zest of one lime
Juice and zest of ½ orange
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 small clove garlic, crushed with a pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon cumin
2 scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens
About 2 tablespoons each of chopped fresh cilantro and mint
½ mango, diced
½ cup diced pineapple (optional)
½ avocado, diced
¼ cup toasted almonds, chopped (or toasted slivered almonds)
 
Combine quinoa, salt, and water in pot and bring water to a boil. Cover pot and simmer until all water is absorbed into quinoa and grain becomes tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer quinoa to a large serving bowl to cool.
 
Combine juices, zest, oil, garlic, and cumin in small bowl. Mix well and pour over quinoa while it is still a bit warm.
 
Add scallions, mint, cilantro, mango, pineapple and avocado to salad. Toss to mix well.
 
Just before serving, add almonds to salad. (This helps them stay crunchy.)
 
If making ahead of time, salad will keep well in fridge several hours. If making the night before, dress quinoa, but add fruit and herbs the next day.
 
This recipe makes enough for at least four.
 
Recipe by Esther Oertel.

Mango salsa

1 cup diced fresh mango
1/3 cup roasted red peppers, drained and diced
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, minced
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
 
Combine all ingredients and chill. Serve with grilled fish or chicken.

This recipe is courtesy of about.com and makes 1 ½ cups of salsa.
 
Mango, orange and ginger smoothie

1 cup orange juice
½ large mango
1 ¼ teaspoons ginger juice (see note below)
4 ice cubes
Optional: ½ ripe banana (about 2 ounces peeled banana)
Combine the orange juice, mango, ginger juice and ice cubes in a blender.
 
Blend until frothy and smooth. If you want a thicker drink, add the banana. Serve right away for the best flavor.
 
Note: To make the ginger juice, grate about 2 teaspoons ginger. Place on a piece of cheesecloth. Gather together the edges of the cheesecloth, hold over a bowl and twist to squeeze out the juice. Ginger combines very well with mango and contributes a host of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals. (Esther’s note: You can add a smaller quantity of grated ginger directly to the blender in lieu of its juice.)
 
This recipe makes one large or two small servings and is courtesy of the New York Times at www.nytimes.com .
 
Check out this site for instructions on how to cut a mango: http://www.mango.org/how-cut-mango .

Esther Oertel, a freelance writer, cooking teacher, and speaker, is passionate about local produce and all foods in the vegetable kingdom. She welcomes your questions and comments and may be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .