One VERY large mango

The mother of a good friend of mine returned yesterday to Fortaleza, where I live, from her hometown, Ibicuã, in the interior of Brazil's Ceará state. She had been there to celebrate Christmas holidays with family and friends. She brought back a basket of mangos, which are in season at this time of year in Northeastern Brazil.

I know that there are a tremendous number of varieties of mango in this part of the world, and I have seen them from the size of a plum to the size of a grapefruit. But nothing had prepared me for the size of the monster-mango that she presented to me this morning. I do not have a kitchen scale in my house, but I'm sure that it weighs at least three pounds (2.2 kgs), and I have measured its length; it's 9 inches (22 cms.) long. Checking online at the excellent Brazilian agricultural site Toda Fruta (in Portuguese only), I've been able to determine that it is of the variety called Coitê. According to Toda Fruta, the Coitê mango is a traditional Brazilian variety, and is widely cultivated in Ceará. It is large, averaging around 650 gr. (1.4 lbs) per fruit. It has a highly resinous flavor, and is sweet. This type of mango tree is capable of bearing fruit all year round.

It appears to be perfectly ripe, and the aroma is enticingly sweet. Tomorrow, I'll have part of it for breakfast, and will report afterwards on its taste. If it tastes as good as it looks, I'm in for a great breakfast!