# How do you eat a mango? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 19, 2004, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953 "2004-05-19T13:16:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/1 "2004-05-19T13:16:58Z")
I like mangos, but they’re a pain to eat because of the large seed. At first, I peeled the skin off, and then cut the meat from the seed. This was messy. So now I cut it into eighths (i.e., I cut “chunks” off as close as I can to the seed) and then cut the skin off the chunks. But there must be a better way. What is the “official” method of eating a mango? ---
**Author:** ![Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eada6e/32.png) [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/2 "2004-05-19T13:21:49Z")
haha, never been to Australia? It’s easy. It’s hard to explain. But what you do is, get a knife, then cut around from top to bottom and up again. (Hence creating a complete circle running perpendicular (not really perp. but you get the point) to the mangos base. like so \> (|) ) Then pop both sides off and cut the mango into a grid, then pop that. Easy. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eada6e/32.png) [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/3 "2004-05-19T13:27:05Z")
in the end it should look like[this](http://www.newt.com/wohler/hawaii2003/photos/maui/lahaina/papaya-mango-kimchee-big.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![smam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/46a35a/32.png) [@smam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smam)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/4 "2004-05-19T13:33:46Z")
> [@Go You Big Red Fire Engine](#): > > in the end it should look like[this](http://www.newt.com/wohler/hawaii2003/photos/maui/lahaina/papaya-mango-kimchee-big.jpg) OMG there is a guava in that picture. The prophcy is complete. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/5 "2004-05-19T13:42:38Z")
> [@](#): > > haha, never been to Australia? Nope. I was thinking of going in December, but I lost my job. > [@](#): > > But what you do is, get a knife, then cut around from top to bottom and up again. (Hence creating a complete circle running perpendicular (not really perp. but you get the point) to the mangos base. like so \> (|) ) I tried to find the edge of the seed, but never could; otherwise, I do make a longitudinal slice all the way around. The halves don’t “pop off”. I still have to cut it into chunks so that I can cut the seed away. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/6 "2004-05-19T13:44:57Z")
> [@smam](#): > > OMG there is a guava in that picture. The prophcy is complete. 😕 That’s a papaya. (Unless you meant the kimchee) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/7 "2004-05-19T13:52:40Z")
> [@](#): > > OMG there is a guava in that picture. The prophcy is complete. **smam** : If you’ve been eating papayas, and not guavas, then getting the seeds out is easy. I slice papayas in half longitudinally. Then I just scoop the mass of purple seeds out with a spoon. To eat a papaya, I like to squeeze lemon juice on it and eat the flesh with a spoon. ---
**Author:** ![wisernow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@wisernow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wisernow)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/8 "2004-05-19T14:01:45Z")
There is no need to peel the skin off. First, mango is a fruit that cannot be eaten without no mess at all. You can only minimize the mess. So here’s how it is to be eaten. Wash the mango well - really well. Cut vertical slices of the mango by running the knife from top to bottom and then back up again keeping the blade as close to the seed as possible. What you will get from this is one big circular slice. Since now you will be holding the mango which has already been cut, you might feel this messy. Continue cutting the rest of the mango in longitudinal slices. Cut the first round slice from top to bottom wide enough that you can put it in your mouth. Now you have longitudinal slices, maybe 4 to 6 depending on the size of the mango. Without bothering to peel the skin, open your mouth and slide the slice in your mouth - the slice entering lengthwise - skin side bottom. Bite down on the flesh, sinking your teeth in but not so hard as to severe the skin totally. Slowly pull the slice out, juggling the force on your jaws such that the flesh comes off and the skin is withdrawn. Follow the same procedure with the rest of the slice(s). If the slices are too long, it might be necessary to just bite into the flesh in the middle of the slice while holding the slice ends across the mouth. Finish eating. Throw skins away. Wash hands. Look for another mango. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/9 "2004-05-19T14:06:18Z")
To answer the OP: 1. Cut off the little portion of the mango that was attached to the stem. 2. Hold the fruit flat in your hand, with the cut portion towards you. 3. Beginning from this end, make a longitudinal slice away from you to the other end of the mango, just above the seed. Since the seed is quite hard, you’ll be able to feel it if you hit it with your knife, and adjust accordingly. 4. Flip the entire fruit over, including the sliced-off side. 5. Make a similar cut on the other side of the mango. 6. You will have two large slices and the seed. You may slice up the large slices as shown in the picture a couple posts back, or simply scoop up the meat with a spoon. 7. The seed should still have a good amount of meat still attached. You can slice these off, if you like, or simply peel off the skin and eat directly off the seed. ---
**Author:** ![smam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/46a35a/32.png) [@smam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smam)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/10 "2004-05-19T14:27:31Z")
Sorry, for a minute there I thought it looked not unlike a guava or indeed a womans vagina. I stand corrected (since visiting the chiropractor) and stand corrected. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/11 "2004-05-19T14:42:08Z")
Whew,glad to see I wasn’t the only one. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/12 "2004-05-19T14:49:36Z")
In concurrence to a comment by **wisernow** , the first rule for mangos is like the first rule for barbecue: make sure you’re wearing a really old/cheap/ratty shirt. An even-messier-method: pare/peel off half of the skin (if the skin can just peel off the surface, it’s realy, really ripe). Start biting/sucking on naked part of mango, until hitting the pit. Repeat for the other side. Throw away shirt, take bath, floss teeth 😃 Less messy method, as mentioned before: slice off chunks of the mango flesh from the pit, as if it were a cheese. Then either pare (as if skinning fish) or peel (as with a ripe avocado) the skin off the chunks. Some mangos are more fibrous than others, this may affect the effectiveness of the various methods. And really, really ripe mangos start kinda liquefying so you may also want to wear cheap/old pants. Very soon it’ll be mango season here again, and we’ll have mangos out the wazoo. A fully grown mango tree can _produce_, man! (Hey, I grew up picking guavas and mangos that grew by the side of the frickin’ road. Hence I’m touring the tropical fruit threads today.) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/13 "2004-05-19T15:12:52Z")
> [@wisernow](#): > > mango is a fruit that cannot be eaten without no mess at all. My sister-in-law says that when she was a kid (growing up in India) when the fresh mangos came in, her mom would send all the kids (siblings, cousins, friends) out to the veranda and make them strip down to their underwear. Then she would give them the mangos and leave them to their own devices. When all the mangos were finished, the adults would wash the kiddies from head to toe with a hose. ---
**Author:** ![smam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/46a35a/32.png) [@smam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smam)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/14 "2004-05-19T15:15:58Z")
Mangoes are my all time favourite fruit and unlike guavas I have no trouble seperating the edible from the inedible. No other fruit on earth can compare IMO for the heavenly taste of a ripe mango. Excellent for making smoothies with too. I usually end up with a seed with still quite a bit of fruit attached which I like to chew. When my little girl is born in September I am gonna (once she is a bit older) start giving her the seed to suck on. It might help when she is teething. ---
**Author:** ![alimarx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@alimarx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alimarx)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/15 "2004-05-19T15:26:57Z")
> [@smam](#): > > Excellent for making smoothies with too. I’ve found this minimizes the need for flossing later. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/16 "2004-05-19T18:26:08Z")
A serious word of warning about peeling and eating raw mangoes. **wisernow** mentions that you need to wash the mango really well; I’ll go further than that. **Mangoes belong to the sumac family.** Their skin contains an oil, [urushiol](http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/faq.html), also found in poison sumac, poison ivy, and poison oak. And, speaking as someone with unfortunate personal experience, some people are more sensitive to this oil than others–if you’re one of those people and the oil comes into contact with your skin, it causes a really nasty (and really lingering) brace of rashes and itchy, oozing sores. Once the oil attaches to your skin, you can’t wash it off. It’s absolutely awful. I found out the hard way. So if you cut up mangoes, make sure not only to wash the skin thoroughly, but to wash your hands with soap immediately afterwards. And be **very** careful when bringing your mouth into contact with meat that might have been in contact with the skin. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/17 "2004-05-19T19:04:12Z")
I always just cut in a circular fashion (from stem to stern and back) and then take both sides and twist. Then, if it’s ripe enough, take a sharp knife \* be very very careful \* and smack it in to the seed. Twist a bit and it should pop right out. The same trick works for avocados. ---
**Author:** ![siberia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/siberia/32/9129_2.png) [@siberia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/siberia)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/18 "2004-05-20T14:21:32Z")
What a coincidence! Yesterday there was an article in my local newspaper on this very topic: [How To Tango With A Mango](http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/food/2573730) ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/19 "2004-05-20T18:30:50Z")
From the South Pacific to the Carribean, when I asked this questions I was always given the same response; THE best / only way to eat mangoes, is as God intended, standing waist deep in the ocean. Hey, it always worked for me. But in restaurants they always came looking like the photo, which may me salivate like Pavlov’s dogs by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953/20 "2004-05-20T22:27:28Z")
Be sure they’re ripe! They turn from a green colour to a yellow/green hue and its much much more easy to twist the flesh off from the seed. And its worth it too 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-a-mango/245953.md?page=2)