How to Cut a Mango

Mango is marvelous, any which way you slice it.

Everyone knows how to pop green leafy tops off of a strawberry, slice an apple, and peel and orange. But what about how to cut or slice slightly less common fruit? The fruit that people tend to push their grocery carts past on the way to the bananas? Like mangoes.

Mangoes are in season right now. They are also incredibly sweet, and a nutrition powerhouse. One cup of mango packs in 70 percent of one’s daily value of vitamin C, plus other important antioxidants like vitamins A and E.

Here is how to take it from intimidating mini-football to fruit plate masterpiece.

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How to Cut and Slice a Mango

Unlike many fruits, cutting a mango can be either very frustrating, or incredibly simple. Mango, like avocado, has a large pit in the center, which has to be cut around to create two meaty mango halves. Here are the steps.

1. Make sure it is ripe.

An important prerequisite, since an underripe mango tastes chalky and bland. Ripe mangoes should feel soft to the touch, and even be very slightly wrinkled at the top nubbin where the stem would have attached.

2. Turn the mango so that it is faces narrow side up toward you.

With a sharp knife, cut down through the mango, on either side on the center meridian. If you hit pit, just move your knife a little more away from the center until it slices clean through. You now have two even halves.

3. Criss-cross cut the mango.

With your knife, score down to the skin in even rows. Turn the mango and cut again, creating a criss-cross pattern, either in a diamond pattern or square. Now use your hands to invert the mango inside-out.

Left like this, a mango half will make a beautiful centerpiece to a fruit platter. The mango can also be served like this. Otherwise, cut the cubes off by running your knife along the base of the mango skin.

4. The leftovers.

There is still mango left around the remaining mango. Cut off the remaining strip of mango skin. Then, cut thin slices of mango off of the remaining fruit and enjoy.

Is this how you cut mango? Tell us how you cut yours in the comments, below.