Green Mango/Mangga
Mango is the national fruit of the Philippines one of the reasons why we eat this fruit green or ripe. Being green makes it as a condiment like a souring agent for our dish we call “sinigang” or sour soup. We also eat the green mango plain or dip in “bagoong alamang” (shrimp paste) or fish sauce and salt. Sometimes we make it into a salad, using only diced green mango, tomatoes and shallots-like onions we call ‘sibuyas Iloko” or “sibuyas Tagalog”. Green mangoes are also made into pickles. In India they make it into chutneys. Nowadays though, green mangoes are being made into juice like a a smoothie.
Green mangoes always reminded me of my childhood. We always pick up green mangoes that have fallen in the ground as the wind blows hard during the spring season in the Philippines. In the farm you can feel that chill brought about by the Siberian melting snow and that’s what I call springtime in my hometown. It’s the time where the mangoes are vulnerable to losing fruits because of the strong winds and also getting molds or mildew. But as soon as the heat of the sun picks up, mango trees happily give a bountiful harvest that we enjoy all summer long.