Fruit: Thai Mango -- "Ma Muang"

Nam Dok Mai
Image from tropenkost-shop

Fruit: Thai Mango -- "Ma Muang"

This time round I went to Thailand, I couldn't really find unopened durians and the packed ones were very limited, but I was lucky enough to have tried some really really sweet, juicy and small seeded mangoes!

I am a mango lover, and so far the most delicious mangoes I have tried are the ones from Thailand, and the best mangoes in Thailand, in my opinions, have to be the most common Nam Dok Mai and the seasonal Ok Rong.

Image from tropicalfruitnursery

Nam Dok Mai is actually a name of an orchardist in Thailand in the province of Chachoengsao, thus the mango name Nam Dok Mai. These mangoes are available all year around (beginning in March, peaking from April to June, I can still find them in December) and they are bright golden colour when riped with deep yellow flesh. They are oval in shape and have a sharp-pointed tip.[1] They are very very sweet yet they are not acidic, thus you can enjoy as many as you want in one go! They possess a slight apple scent which makes it even more charming than mangoes from Taiwan and Indonesia. Their seed is thin and so 95% of the Nam Dok Mai is flesh, succulent meat!!!

(I'm mouth-watering already! Give me a second to get a tissue.)

From Wikipedia: The "hedgehog" style is a common way of eating mangoes (left). A cross section of a mango can be seen on the right

Ok Rhong
Image from Google

Ok Rong is also oval in shape, but has a round tip. The flesh of a ripe fruit is yellowish orange in colour[1]. They are actually even sweeter than Nam Dok Mai, but their look is not so convincing. They are also not as easily found in Bangkok as Nam Dok Mai because they mature in from March to June[2].

But not easy doesn't mean you can't, just visit the famous Mae Waree at Soi Thonglor (Mae Waree Fruits & Mango, Thonglo, Sukhumvit Soi 55, Bangkok[3]) and you will find the best. On the other hand, if you don't want to go so far, then just get the Nam Dok Mai in the Gourmet Market in Siam Paragon, second best place for mangoes!

Khao Nieow Ma-Muang
Image from realthairecipes

Glutinous Rice with Mango topped with coconut milk is called "Khao Nieow Ma-Muang" in Thai and it is served best with these two mangoes.[1]

I'm sorry guys, I must stop writing, my saliva is all over my keyboard now!

**********************************************************************************

Vocabulary:

orchardist -- a person who tends or cultivates an area of land where fruit trees (but not orange trees or other citrus trees) are grown

succulent -- pleasantly juicy

**********************************************************************************

Picture resources:

http://byfiles.storage.live.com/y1pfnvByoApteeh4yLCzy2QgmfePEjPt1DuC97S0t6QZOuEcpNac8F6x1GnkVPkkMX3T8HenEeTWVs

http://tropenkost-shop.de/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/m/a/mango_nam-dok-mai.jpg

Resources:

[1] http://www.simply-thai.com/Thai-Market_Fruit_Mango.htm

[2] http://thailand.prd.go.th/ebook/kitchen/content/ch1.html

[3] http://thaisclub.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chachoengsao_Province

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mango_cultivars

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mango

http://www.realthairecipes.com/recipes/mango-with-sticky-rice/

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/orchardist

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=79570&dict=CALD&topic=pleasant-to-eat-or-drink