I certainly know why mangoes are popular in the Huetteman household. They’re sweet, juicy, and can be used in everything from smoothies and desserts to salsas, and cocktails. That makes this fresh, delightful fruit one of our favorites.
Mangoes are also especially popular in Florida because they are so plentiful. Mango trees thrive in warm, frost-free, subtropical and tropical climates. South Florida’s hot summers, mild winters, and high humidity make it one of the few places in the continental U.S. where mangoes can grow well.
Mangoes were first introduced to Florida in the 1800s in Key West and the Miami areas. By the early 1900s, they became an important crop, especially around Miami and the Southwest coast. Florida even developed new mango varieties that are grown worldwide today.
Florida has large Caribbean, Latin American, and South Asian communities where mangoes are a much-loved traditional fruit. Being part of the local cuisine has helped to boost their popularity in these locales. Cities like Miami and nearby Pine Island even host mango festivals, showing off the many ways to enjoy this delicious fruit. Edd and I missed this year’s Mangomania on Pine Island, the island’s annual mango festival in early June in St. James City and late July in Bokeelia.
But on a lazy Sunday afternoon, we rode out to Pine Island and made a pleasant visit to some of the mango farms in the area. The owners were very welcoming and informative. It is very apparent that they love what they do, and they are proud of their produce. In addition to buying some of the best mangoes we’ve eaten this season, we bought some mango jam. The mango salsa was too spicy for me. In addition, we heard some hurricane stories.
But Florida isn’t only a good place to grow mangoes, it is important because it has helped the modern mango industry worldwide. Since the late 1800s, horticulturists and backyard growers in South Florida have bred hundreds of mango varieties, many of which have become internationally important.
Here are some of these varieties which you would not recognize by their names, but perhaps by their different appearances and tastes. Note, all mangoes are not alike. Some are sweet and juicy and only slightly fibrous while others don’t have the best flavors but are extremely disease-resistant, firm and ship well going mostly to supermarkets across the U.S. and Europe. There is also a late-season variety that ripens later than most. It is large, has green skin even when ripe, is sweet, with a mild flavor and little fiber. It is popular for extending the mango season and is shipped globally. Finally, there are those, sweet, bright colored, exceptionally large (up to 2-plus pounds each) mangoes that can be found in backyards across Florida.
Before Florida mangoes, many mangoes grown in the tropics were small, fibrous, and not suited for shipping. Florida growers focused on larger, less fibrous, more attractive fruit with better disease resistance. As a result, Florida varieties of mangoes have become the parents of mango industries in Mexico, Brazil, Israel, Egypt, and India while supplementing the native mango crops of these countries.
I guess you won’t be surprised if you’ve eaten a mango from a U.S. grocery store, chances are it was a Florida-descended variety! So, enjoy before the season ends.
