Australian Mangoes

After writing yesterday's entry on black swans, which are unique to Australia and I absolutely love, I thought I'd continue by sharing a few more unexpected and extremely enjoyable Aussie "things." Today's delight, and that is no exaggeration, is the mango. I never expected to try so many kinds of mango, but between September and April, the grocery stores go through Kensington, Calypso, R2E2 (I don't know where is this Star Wars-like name coming from), Keitt, Kent, Pearl, Brooks, Honey Gold, and Palmer varieties. I call these "countless kinds" of mango. The hyperlink will help you figure out how yellow, juicy, sweet, and fibery is each of these varieties. My mouth is watering now (June is a mango-less month) and I can guarantee that if you like mangoes, you will be licking your fingers after eating each fruit, independent of variety. If you didn't care much about mangoes, like Tiziano, who thought their aroma was similar to that of shoeshine, you will completely revise your incorrect opinion and indulge in mango after mango, again, independent of variety. In early season or in years of small productions, one mango is up to $5, but when buying bulk (boxes of 15-20 mangoes) they are about $1 each. Size matters, too, because if you buy an R2E2 that can weigh about 1kg, one piece of fruit feeds "a village"! Since I do not have a picture of my favorite mango, I will include that of a family of black swans, cygnet, mom and dad! LOL!