The Carabao mango, also known as the Philippine mango or Manila mango among other names, is a

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

of particularly sweet

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...

from the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. It is one of the most important varieties of mango cultivated in the

. The variety is reputed internationally due to its sweetness and exotic taste. It is named after the

carabao Carabaos () are a genetically distinct population of swamp-type water buffaloes ('' Bubalus bubalis kerabau'') from the Philippines.FAO 2013''Philippine Carabao/Philippines''In: Domestic Animal Diversity Information System. Food and Agriculture ...

, the national animal of the Philippines and a native Filipino breed of domesticated

water buffalo The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called domestic water buffalo, Asian water buffalo and Asiatic water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also kept in Italy, the Balkans ...

Description

Carabao mangoes are around in length and in diameter. These fruits are kidney-shaped and can range from being short to elongated. When ripe, the fruit is bright yellow. The flesh is a rich yellow in color with a tender melting consistency, very sweet, and very aromatic. Like other Southeast Asian-type mangoes, it is

polyembryonic Polyembryony is the phenomenon of two or more embryos developing from a single fertilized egg. Due to the embryos resulting from the same egg, the embryos are identical to one another, but are genetically diverse from the parents. The genetic differ ...

(in contrast to Indian-type mangoes). Unripe or underripe carabao mangoes are very sour, and are traditionally eaten with condiments like

shrimp paste Shrimp paste or prawn sauce is a Fermentation, fermented condiment commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, Southeast Asian and Coastal Chinese cuisines. It is primarily made from finely crushed Shrimp and prawn as food, shrimp or krill mixed ...

, salt, vinegar, and/or

soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...

or pickled into

burong mangga ''Burong mangga'' is a Filipino side dish and concoction made by mixing sugar, salt, and water to mangoes that have previously been salted. The mixture of water and sugar should be boiled and cooled first, before pouring it over the salted man ...

. Fruiting season is usually from late May to early July.

Strains

There are 14 different strains of Carabao mango. These strains include the Talaban and Fresco of

Guimaras Guimaras (), officially the Province of Guimaras (; ), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. The capital is Jordan, while the largest local government unit is the municipality of Buenavista. The provin ...

, MMSU Gold of the

Ilocos Region The Ilocos Region (; ; ), designated as Region I, is an Region of the Philippines, administrative region of the Philippines. Located in the northwestern section of Luzon, it is bordered by the Cordillera Administrative Region to the east, the Ca ...

and Lamao and Sweet Elena of

Zambales Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales (; ; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is Iba, Zambales, Iba, which is located in t ...

. A comparative study conducted by Bureau of Agricultural Research of the

Department of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

in 2003 found that the Sweet Elena of Zambales is the sweetest Carabao mango strain. The

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

Ataulfo and

Manilita mango The 'Manilita' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in Mexico. History Manilita came from the Pacific coast of southern Mexico. It is descended from the Philippine mango variety brought from Manila, Philippines (hence the name Manil ...

cultivars descended from the Philippine mango through the

Manila galleon The Manila galleon (; ) refers to the Spain, Spanish trading Sailing ship, ships that linked the Philippines in the Spanish East Indies to Mexico (New Spain), across the Pacific Ocean. The ships made one or two round-trip voyages per year betwe ...

trade between 1600 and 1800. Both of these cultivars are sometimes referred to as "Manila mangoes" in trade. During the

American colonial period of the Philippines American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

, the Carabao mango was also known as the champagne mango, a name which is now also applied in North American markets to the similar descendant cultivar, Ataulfo. Another common market name for the cultivar is honey mango, which is also used for Ataulfo.

References

{{Mangoes Mango cultivars

Description

Strains

See also

References