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Mangos thrive in tropical climates all over the world. The mangos available in the U.S. come mostly from Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Guatemala and Haiti. These countries harvest their mango crops at different times of the year, which means mangos are available all year round.
Your distributor most likely carries more than one of the six most popular and commercially available varieties described below by Chef Allen Susser. Each one has a different flavor profile with textures that range from firm and fibrous to soft and juicy. Try mangos at different stages of ripeness – unripe, ripe and fully ripe – and select the variety that fits your application.
Click here for a chart of the six most popular varieties and when they are most likely to be available.
Mango Varieties
 | A high quality canary yellow, slender sigmoid mango weighing 6 - 8 ounces. The flesh is fiber-free, firm and handling resistant. It has a distinctive sweet and spicy taste. |
 | A quite large, oval fruit weighing 24 - 40 ounces. Considered a green mango it often retains a green skin color with a slight pink blush when fully ripe. Depending on the location or origin it can develop a light yellow hue with a strong pink or red blush. The fiber-free, lemon yellow firm and juicy flesh has a mild sweet flavor. |
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A smooth, waxy-skinned oval shaped fruit weighing 24 - 32 ounces. Ripens to a golden yellow with a deep red to crimson blush flecked with yellow dots. A green color can be retained when fully ripe in arid climates. A soft juicy deep orange flesh provides a sweet rich flavor well suited to dessert. Though their soft flesh can be damaged in transport and display, their culinary use is not affected.
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 | Oblong and sigmoid shaped with a undulating and lightly waxed skin, this Haitian fruit ranges in size from 16 - 20 ounces. Colored greenish to bright yellow and without any blush, its dark orange flesh while soft and juicy can be fibrous. Its sweet, spicy flavor with notes of caramel, fig and candied orange peel make it ideal for dessert use. |
 | Oval and smooth, Hadens weigh 24 - 32 ounces. This Florida originated variety is vividly bright yellow in color with crimson and red highlights and speckled in yellow and white dots. The firm, aromatic, moderately fibrous orange flesh possesses a rich and sweet flavor with pineapple and peach undertones. |
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Oval and oblong, this variety weighs 16 - 24 ounces. The orange colored waxy skin has a crimson or dark red blush. With a fine fiber and firm texture, the lemon to deep yellow colored flesh has a sweet and mild flavor with fruity, aromatic undertones.
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