News Letter Vol.26

TFAC

Introduction: Mango season

In July, Tainan County's lrwin mangoes are ripe and ready to be harvested. Red and attractive to the eye outside and yellowish-orange on the inside, the aroma of the mangoes make them so appetizing. Mangoes are the best in summer and a variety of cool and refreshing desserts such mango slices, mango juice, mango ice, or even mango jello can be made out of these wonderful fruits. These mango desserts will bring you a sense of chill in the heat of summer and a sense of happiness!

It's mango season in summer. Follow the national highway into the mountainous area in Tainan County and see the varieties mangoes with di�erent colors such as bright red, golden, orange, greenish-orange, and so on selling in farmer's markets. These gem-stone like colors together with the sweet and juicy tastes or slightly tangy tastes will satisfy di�erent sets of taste buds. Be sure to stop at one of these small markets and look for them.

No matter how hot it gets in summer, you can cool it down with a selection of cool ideas starting with mangoes – making ice cream bar, chipped ice, smoothies, mango juice, or even adding them to milk or creating your own cuisine out of them makes some very tasty ideas.

Mango in Tainan County

Want to taste the sweetest and most fragrant mangoes? Come to Tainan County!Yu Jin Township in Tainan County is the biggest mango-producing area in Taiwan. Thanks to the farmers' hard work and delicate nurturing process mango varieties like Irwin, Chiin Hwang, Tu (土芒果), Keitt, Tainung, Haden, Yu-wen and others, are sweet, juicy and loved by all. In June and July, there are plenty of ripen fruits ready and waiting to be send to the distribution centers and markets. The aromatic mangoes seem to �ll up the entire Yu Jin Township with lovely fragrance and a sense of joy for the abundant harvest.

Irwin MangoVery fragrant in smell and velvety in �eshThe Irwin mango is what's often called in Taiwan the "Apple – Shih". Its apple-red skin and rich aroma are its biggest features. Its fruit is soft, velvety with very little �bers and when juiced, it's very sweet.

Its smooth texture and the intense fruitiness have won favors with many food connoisseurs. Irwin mangoes are often processed and made into mango ice cream, ice cream bar, salad, and it's used in many dishes. It is the most popular mango planted in many plantations. In recent years, the Irwin mango has passed the produce disease standard in Japan and began to be sold there. In addition of economic bene�ts, this fruit has once more help to solidify the title of "Nation of Fruits" for Taiwan globally.

Chiin Hwang mangoesGolden and smooth with just the right amount of sweetnessChiin Hwang mangoes are huge, with the biggest ones reaching 2.5 kg in weight. Its skin is smooth and delicate in appearance and mostly golden in color with a touch of light pink; it certainly looks appealing to many. The meat of Chiin Hwang mangoes is very silky with almost no �ber. Their aroma isn't as pungent as Irwin mangoes but some people prefer its texture and sweetness without any hints of tartness

Tu mangoesJuicy and �brousComparing with Irwin and Chiin Hwang the Tu mangoes are small with a sweet and tart taste that's hard to forget. It's rather �brous but the taste of its juice is unique and stands out as having a somewhat "peasantry" feel. It's mostly used for juicing and the processed Tu mangoes are made into snacks favored by many.

The secret of picking mangoesIf you're picking mangoes yourself you want to pick them right after they are completely ripe and having the highest quality, but the most of the time you're probably going to get them in markets and the farmers often harvest them when they're about 70% to 80% ripe and arti�cially ripen them before transporting them to the markets to prevent bruises.If you're shopping for them look for ones with �rm and thick �esh without insect-biting marks and small rips and tears. Also, for each type, look and make sure the colors of each �t their description, for example, Irwin mangoes should be bright red with some yellow, and Chiin Hwang mangoes should be orange yellow with a hint of red. If you know you won't be able to �nish the mangoes soon then avoid picking up fully ripened fruits. If you see small black spots then it's time to place the mangoes into the refrigerator in order to prevent them to become over ripen and then rotten.

Tainan Foreigner Assistance Center Tainan City Hall (06) 298-1000# 8244

2F, 6, Sec2, Yonghua Rd. Tainan City 70801tainanFAC@gmail.com