Peruvian Mango

Air-freighted Kent mango (Mangifera indica) from Peru — the variety that sets the benchmark for eating quality across Europe, and FINE & WILD's top-selling fruit. Kent mangoes are prized for their completely fibre-free flesh, rich sweetness and deep, almost caramel-like flavour that develops fully only when the fruit has had genuine time to ripen on the tree. That is the critical difference with air-freighted mangoes: because transit time is measured in hours rather than weeks, the fruit can be left on the tree far longer before harvesting, building real sugar content and complexity.

Mangoes are climacteric — they continue to ripen after picking — but the way they ripen matters enormously. Sea-freighted mangoes are typically harvested early and spend weeks in cold storage, losing moisture and softening without ever developing the depth of flavour that comes from extended tree ripening. What looks and feels like a ripe mango may never have been one. Air-freighted fruit arrives having genuinely ripened, not merely aged. Look for yellow undertones or spots developing across the skin — this signals the fruit is reaching its peak. A ripe Kent mango will yield gently to pressure and smell fragrant at the stem end.

To eat a whole mango with minimal waste, slice it horizontally across its width rather than lengthways. Twist off the bottom half and eat the flesh directly with a teaspoon. The top half, with the stone, can be eaten the same way — the spoon gets cleanly around the stone, reaching flesh that is usually discarded.

Origin: Peru

Ingredients: Kent mango (Mangifera indica)

Storage: If firm on arrival, leave at room temperature to ripen — this may take one to three days. Once ripe (yielding to gentle pressure, fragrant at the stem end), refrigerate and consume within two days.