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Table Scraps: Backyard Tree Gives Me The Itch For Mangoes

Photo by LYNN KESSEL

Chilled mango soup sounds like a dessert soup, but it's not. Throughout Asia, the distinct-flavored mango is used regularly in both sweet and savory dishes. It's the perfect summer dish.

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 6, 2008

During my youth, I developed a taste for fresh mangoes picked from my grandmother's tree in Miami. Once a year or so, a box of those tropical fruits would land on our doorstep in the Midwest.

Eating the ripened mangoes always seemed like some sort of ritual. Mom loved them. They never seemed to make their way to a bowl though; she'd peel, slice and eat them, while standing over the kitchen sink.

As a trickle of mango juice would slowly run down her arm, Mom would nod her head and allow us kids - mango connoisseurs of the next generation - a sliver.

What she didn't eat, she'd peel and cut most of the meat off the seed. For the next few months, our freezer would be filled with orange baggies. When I look at a mango, I still think of her.

When I moved to Ruskin earlier this year, I was excited to find a mango tree in the backyard.

I eagerly watched the green bulbs mature this past month - all whopping eight of them. I discovered two mangoes that had dropped to the ground, devoured I'm sure by squirrels with exotic taste buds.

I thought I'd better pick the remaining fruit before the furry gourmands got those too. So I carried the small bundle into the house and set them on the window sill to ripen.

The next day I noticed a cluster of small bumps on the inside of my left arm. The day after that, the cluster escalated to the size of a half dollar, with swelling and an insane itch. "Poison Ivy?" I wondered.

Heading straight to the Internet for a comparison image, I found an article on things that might give you a severe rash: poison ivy, poison oak and mango. Wait a minute. Mango?

It turns out the two are related. Apparently the oil of mango sap contains a chemical called urushiol, in a less potent form than what's found in poison oak and poison ivy. One of the mangoes must have had sap on it, which probably rubbed off on my arm when I carried the precious fruit into the house.

My local pharmacist had never heard of "mango itch." But he told me that my sensitive skin reaction is called "allergic contact dermatitis," and he advised using 1 percent cortisone cream and an antihistamine tablet before I went to bed.

The itch-scratch cycle lasted several weeks.

Proper mango protocol?

If you have a history of reaction to poison oak and poison ivy, be cautious about handling mango. Avoid the sap and don't climb the tree, pick its fruit or prune its branches.

Let someone else clean and peel your mango, or else wear disposable gloves. If you get sap on your skin, quickly wash it off using dish detergent.

I do have good news, though. The paradise fruit is still safe to eat. Good thing, because those were the best mangoes I'd ever tasted.

Lesson learned. Don't tango with mango.

This cold comfort soup sounds like a dessert soup, but it's not. Throughout Asia, the distinct-flavored mango is used regularly in both sweet and savory dishes. It's the perfect summer dish.

Source: "The Everything Thai Cookbook" by Jennifer Malott Kotylo

CHILLED MANGO SOUP

2 large mangoes, peeled, pitted and chopped

1 1/2 cups chilled chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup plain yogurt

1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

1 tablespoon dry sherry

Salt and white pepper

Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Season to taste. The soup may be served immediately or refrigerated until needed. If refrigerated, let the soup sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or so before serving to take off some of the chill. Serves 4.

Source: "The Everything Thai Cookbook" by Jennifer Malott Kotylo

Lynn Kessel can be reached at lkessel@mac.com or P.O. Box 913, Ruskin FL 33575-0913. For more of her recipes, visit southshore .TBO.com and enter the search words: Lynn Kessel. Readers are encouraged to send in their favorite recipes, comments and suggest

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