Dried Mango

Name: Dried mango — mango (Mangifera indica) slices dried until chewy, usually sweetened and often treated with sulphur dioxide to keep a bright orange colour. It is different from green mango powder (amchoor), made from unripe fruit. The fresh fruit has its own pages under Stone Fruits and Tropical Fruits.

Description

Mangoes are native to South Asia and have long been dried, pickled and preserved so the harvest can be kept after the short fresh season. In India, sun-dried sheets of mango pulp (aam papad) have been made for centuries, and green mango is dried and ground into amchoor, a tangy spice. The Philippines, particularly Cebu, is famous for its sweet dried mango, which is exported around the world.

Commercial dried mango is usually made from slices of ripe fruit, often with sugar added and sulphur dioxide to preserve colour, giving a sweet, chewy, orange snack. Unsweetened, unsulphured versions are darker and tangier.

Main nutrition value

Dried mango is a concentrated source of natural sugar and energy, and still provides some vitamin A (from carotenoids), fibre and vitamin C, though less than the fresh fruit.

How best to be consumed

Dried mango is very sweet and sticky, so a few pieces are plenty.

1. Eat a few pieces as a snack, with nuts to balance the sugar.
2. Chop into porridge, muesli, salads, trail mix or baking.
3. Rehydrate in hot water or tea, then use in curries and chutneys.
4. Choose unsweetened, unsulphured dried mango if you want to limit sugar and additives.
5. Check the label, since many brands add a lot of sugar.

Overconsumption could cause…

Drying removes water but leaves the sugar, so dried fruit is far more concentrated in sugar and energy than the fresh fruit.

1. High added sugar and calorie intake, since many dried mango products are sweetened.
2. Reactions in people sensitive to sulphites, including some with asthma.
3. Digestive upset from the concentrated sugar and fibre.
4. Tooth decay from sticky, sugary pieces, and skin irritation in rare cases of mango sensitivity.

GroupsDried FruitsCashew family (Anacardiaceae)Low fatRich in folateRich in vitamin CDried

Made fromMango

Related foodsDried BlueberriesDried CherriesCurrantsDried Goji BerriesDried LonganDried Dates

Wikipedia — Mango, used for origin and general background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mango Wikipedia — Dried fruit, used for general background on drying and storing fruit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dried_fruit