The Great Peruvian Mango Secret

In summer months (January and February), Peru is the land of never-ending mangos. At the height of the season, fruit vendors have so many piles of mangos that they sell them for less than 50 U.S. cents per kilo, and by the end of February people are practically giving them away all along the coast. And these mangos are not limited to our American one-color-one-size definition of a mango. Here there is everything from small yellow mangos the size of ovalish apricots, to ginormous green ones the size of my head.

Needless to say I have utterly enjoyed partaking in the fruits of Peruvian mango season. However, if you are familiar with eating mangos, you are likely aware that their extreme deliciousness is always accompanied by their extreme messiness. Even when I am eating one of these juicy treats in the comfort of my own kitchen, using a knife, fork, and plate, nine times out of ten the mango wins the battle and I end up with yellow juice spots on various articles of clothing. Let's not even talk about the far-from-cleanly state of my fingers and face.

In light of my total inability to neatly consume a mango, you can imagine the eyes-wide awe I experienced the first time I saw a Peruvian casually munching a coconut-sized mango while walking down the road: there were no drips of yellow juice in sight! This lady's hands were spotless, and yet there she was, visibly enjoying her fruit. The mystery of the Peruvian mango technique remained elusive to me for many weeks that followed, and I had pretty much resigned myself to continuing my life as an ungraceful mango eater, destined to wallow in that sweet messiness for the rest of my days.

But then, while out on a hike near Cajamarca, one of my fellow volunteers pulled a sizable red mango out of her pack and began to eat it. When she saw me staring jealously at her impeccable technique, Amanda agreed to impart her wisdom on me. It was thus I learned the Great Peruvian Mango Secret, which I will now share with you privileged blog readers:

How to eat a mango, Peruvian style:

1. Study the mango's exterior to spot any worm-holes. If worm-hole is found, abort mission.
2. If the fruit is worm-free, proceed to roll the mango around in your hands, applying pressure to make it juicier. Do not squeeze too hard, or you will experience the unpleasant (and very messy) occurrence of mango innards exploding out of a random hole onto you and/or the ground. Rookie mistake.
3. Once you feel the target is sufficiently juicy, bite a small hole in the mango skin on a convenient side of the mango. Spit out the skin piece.
4. Suck out a lot of delicious mango juice through the newly created hole. You may need to re-squeeze the mango to produce more juice.
5. Once the majority of the free-flowing juice has been extracted, peel back the skin, section by section, and munch away on the rest of the fruit left inside.

Voila! A delicious and tidy mango experience.

Chris demonstrating proper mango technique