Plum mango or marian plum (มะปราง)
(Bouea macrophylla)
The great thing about plum mango is that one doesn’t need to peel it, like one has to do it with mango. But plum mangoes are much smaller, only 4-6 cm long.
Taste of marian plum
Ripe fruit have pleasant taste, they are sweet with a pinch of sour. Plum mango has tight skin, while its flesh is juicy, soft and a bit fibrous, the flesh reminds of ripe persimmon. The taste of plum mango has something in common with persimmon, mango and apricot.
How to choose, transport & store
Ripe plum mangoes are of distinct orange color. Also they are much softer than unripe fruit. Plum mangoes can be stored ~2 weeks in a fridge. Due to tight skin they endure transportation much better than plums, nevertheless one should avoid squeezing fruit too much.
How to eat plum mango
Like a plum (peach or apricot). The seed is considered edible but it’s bitter, so one should rather get rid of it. In Indonesia and Malaysia unripe plum mangoes are used as ingredient for salads.
When and where to find
The season for plum mangoes in Thailand starts in January with its peak in April and ends in May. I wouldn’t state that marian plums are sold everywhere (though they are native to South-East Asia). So have an intent look at fruit stalls and ask sellers, if you can’t find plum mangoes. My bunch of plum mangoes had a cost of 80 THB.
