Few fruits can match the diversity of the delectable mango. Depending on the variety (there are reputedly more than a thousand), it can be round, oval, kidney-shaped or long and slender. It can be as small as a baseball, weighing a scant 4 ounces, or the size of a Chihuahua; according to Guinness World Records, a couple from the Philippines picked the world’s heaviest mango — 7.57 pounds — from a tree in their front yard in 2009.
The skin of a ripe mango can be yellow, orange, red or tinged with all those colors and a bit of green. Mango also varies in taste and texture — from sweet to tart, from soft to firm.
Historians trace the mango’s roots back at least 5,000 years to India and Southeast Asia. From there, beginning around A.D. 300, traders and explorers took it around the globe.
MANGOES AT THE MOANA
>>
Place: Moana Surfrider, 2365 Kalakaua Ave., Waikiki
>>
Date: Saturday
>>
Time: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
>>
Admission: free
>>
Phone: 922-3111 (ask for concierge desk)
>>
Email: Brittani.Deeton@westin.com
>>
Website: moana-surfrider.com/dining/mangoesatthemoana
Notes: Free valet parking for four hours is available at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, 120 Kaiulani Ave., with purchase of presale Mango Throwdown tickets.
FUN FACTS
>> Mango is in the same family of flowering plants (Anacardiaceae) as the pistachio and cashew. People who are allergic to those nuts might get the same reactions when they eat and/or touch mango.
>> The mango tree is the tallest fruit tree and among the most prolific; it can exceed 100 feet in height and bear fruit for more than 40 years.
>> India is the largest producer of mango in the world, but it contributes only 1 percent to the international mango trade because its people consume most of its crop.
>> The paisley pattern, which was developed in India, is based on the mangos shape.
>> In the U.S., mangoes are commercially grown in Florida, California, Hawaii and Puerto Rico but not on a large scale. The U.S. imports about 80 percent of its mangoes from Mexico.
The 1909 Hawaiian Annual and Almanac notes the first mango trees came to Honolulu from Manila in 1824 aboard the brig Kamehameha. They were given to Don Francisco de Paula Marin, an avid horticulturist who was a trusted adviser to King Kamehameha I.
He cultivated them successfully, and today mango can be found at farms, parks, gardens and homes statewide. During the summer it’s the indisputable king of fruits in Hawaii.
On Saturday, mango will be in the spotlight at the Moana Surfrider’s eighth annual Mangoes at the Moana. Ryan Loo, food and beverage director, and his staff have been busy planning the event, which promises great educational opportunities, tastings, entertainment and family fun.
One of the highlights will be the Mango Throwdown, featuring an A-list of Oahu chefs: Ed Kenney and Maggie King from Town; Ronnie Nasuti, Tiki’s Bar & Grill; Mark Noguchi, Mission Social Hall and Cafe; Andy Reagan, Morimoto Waikiki; Michelle Karr-Ueoka, MW Restaurant; Lee Anne Wong, Koko Head Cafe; Hiroyuki Mimura, Taormina; and Carolyn Portuondo, the Royal Hawaiian hotel.
“All of those chefs have earned stellar reputations for their creativity and focus on quality, locally grown ingredients,” Loo said. “They’ll be preparing new mango creations at the Throwdown. It’s going to be an exciting competition with delicious results, and attendees get to choose the winner.”
Also guaranteed to draw crowds will be the cooking demonstrations by the Moana’s chef de cuisine, David Lukela, and executive pastry chef Nanako Perez-Nava. Lukela will show how the versatile mango can be the star of any meal as he makes mango muesli, mango forbidden rice salad and mango fish tacos. Those with a sweet tooth will be all ears as Perez-Nava shares her recipe for a luscious mango cream pie.
Two seminars, “Mango 101: Introduction to Mangoes” and “Mangoes for the Seasoned: How to Make My Mango Tree Productive,” will enlighten even the most ardent mango aficionados. Leading the sessions will be arborist Dudley Hulbert, horticulturist Heidi Bornhorst and farmer Mark Suiso, who owns Makaha Mangoes (www.makaha mangoes.com) with his wife, Candy.
Think your trees are laden with blue-ribbon mango? Find out for sure by entering the Best Mango Contest! The cream of both homegrown and mango farmers’ crops will be judged on flavor, skin, texture and aroma.
“Hawaii might not produce the most mango in the world, but I think it produces some of the best,” Loo said. “If you’re not familiar with mango, Mangoes at the Moana is a wonderful introduction to it. And even if you are, our celebration will give you reasons to love it even more.”
Event highlights
Best Mango Contest
Registration: 8-9 a.m. (no entry fee)
Judging and awards: 9-11 a.m.
Home and commercial growers enter two of their best mangoes for a chance to win a two-night stay at the Moana.
Cooking demonstrations
Noon-2 p.m. Learn how to prepare simple dishes using mango.
Mango Throwdown
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Tastings: $6 per ticket (good for one plate) or $48 for 10 tickets through Friday at honoluluboxoffice.com
Mango Cocktail Mixdown
Noon-2 p.m. Impromptu mixology sessions sponsored by Southern Wine & Spirits. Tickets from the Mango Throwdown can be used to buy mango-inspired cocktails.
Seminars 1-2 p.m.
Experts will describe the main mango varieties grown in Hawaii and discuss pruning techniques, disease prevention and other factors that affect the health and production of mango trees.
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.
