Look what I have… All the way from India, aboard a British Airways flight. 6 whole luscious, juicy, much-coveted Alphanso mangoes.
Okay… now there’s only 5.
Quite possibly the best mangoes in the world, definitely the best in North America, available for only a few short weeks. Actually, I advise my readers not to seek these out, because once you have one, regular old supermarket mangoes will be dead to you. You’ll never be able to eat another one of those hard, yellow woody things.
We went across town yesterday with the sole purpose of bringing home a box of these babies. The flesh is dark orange, juicy and sweet. They’re smooth, melting away to the consistency of purée in the mouth. They’re so fragrant, you can smell them through box and all the paper. All are perfectly ripe.
I’ve been anti supermarket mangoes for a long time, anyway, working on the theory that while local is important, seasonal is the most important factor of all in terms of produce. So I’ve actually been waiting all winter to get my hands on one of these.
Good news for you readers in the US – while we’ve been able to get Alphansos every spring here in Canada, this year the US is finally letting some into the country. They’re irradiated, mind you, as there is the potential for them to carry disease that could wipe out US mango crops, but you folks finally have a chance to taste these gorgeous fruits.
They generally don’t make it too far out of areas with large southeast Asian populations, so most folks will need to find a local Little India to nab some Alphansos, but it’s soooo worth it if you can.