Living in the Philippines not only means enjoying the fine sunny weather but also the delicate Philippine food and fruits.
When Filipinos celebrate New Year they always take care that they have at least 7 kinds of fruits available in the house. It is an old tradition and it should bring luck and health for the coming year. I will write a separate post about some of the typical Philippine fruits soon. In this post I will tell you what my favorite fruits are.
#1 is Piña, or pineapple.
My wife Flor and I are going to Tagaytay from time to time, just for a day, and we are always buying some of the finest pineapples on our way back home. Just along the streets right outside Tagaytay you will find many fruit stalls with a large variety of fruits. Some of them only have one kind and that’s where we used to buy our piña. Prices vary depending on the season and can go as low as 5 to 10 pesos a piece in high season. Out of season prices will be around 15 to 20 pesos.
Pineapples from the Tagaytay region are very sweet and juicy. I can easily finish a medium size all by myself. It is a perfect desert after a good meal.
#2 is Manga or mango.
In the world there are several varieties of mangoes available. The most well known is the so called ‘indian mango’. A round fruit: red-green-orange-yellow of color. The meat has some long fibers in it. ( I do not know how to describe it differently ). That’s the reason that this mango is NOT my favorite. My favorite is the Filipino kind of mango. Yellow in color, a little flat in shape. They are also known as Cebu mangoes. They are very juicy and sweet. The structure of the meat is like a very ripe peach.
I have found this description somewhere on internet:
This exotic tropical fruit popularly known to be yellow in color obtained its addictive taste through its meticulous harvest procedures. It matures after 3 months and a half from the time of its flower blooms, carefully handpicked while still green and harvested between 9am- 3pm to prevent rapid exudation of the latex. Mature mangoes turned fully ripe from 6-12 days after harvest. Timing is important for transporting this fruit as it is highly perishable. Keeping it refrigerated at 10 degrees Celsius remains green for 2 weeks. It is a wonder fruit of versatile ways to enjoy its taste. Green mango can be served as a salad component, while golden yellow mango has varieties of ways to savor its uniqueness. It can be served as plain, processed, dried or frozen, this delicious fruit is world known for its sweetest character. Ripened by the heat of tropical sun, this wonder fruit is a perfect dessert served in many ways. Considered ‘Fruit of the Gods’, Philippine Mango is well-known worldwide for its best qualities, which cannot be outshined by any variety of mangoes around the globe.
#3 is Bananas (or saging in Tagalog)
Bananas we buy in several varieties: Lacatan (laktan), Latundan, Senoritas (lady fingers), these are my favorite kinds also in that order.
Compared to the imported brand bananas in Europe (= practicaly no taste, just nice looking and yellow) the above varieties have a nice smell, and a rich taste with lots of flavor.
But there are many more varieties available: like Saba, Butuan, and many more.
And some other varieties of bananas cannot be eaten without cooking or frying them. Bananas are consumed all over the world and are considered as one of the main sources of nutrition in the world.
#4 is Guyabano
See my post about this delicious and healthy fruit HERE
#5 is Ponkan or Mandarin oranges.
I have always liked Mandarin oranges. When I was still living in Holland most of them were imported from Spain or Morocco and only available a few months a year.
In the Philippines, the local Ponkan are also seasonal and available from end November until February. Imported ones are mostly from China. The local variety tasts the best in my opinion. They are about 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) in diameter, very sweet and deep orange of color.
I will end this post with a little common joke told by Filipinos about foreigners:
A foreigner tells a Filipino that from all bananas he has tasted he likes Saging the most.
Filipino time:
Don’t forget lanzones and suha.
I like my mangos when they just start to turn yellow so they are still firm and have a little sour left in them. Don’t forget the sea salt.
Tom, I agree, a little green mangoes are delicious with some salt.
And I am going to write a post soon about more delicious fruits.
Thanks for stopping by again
I’ve always referred to mango from the Philippines as Philippine mango but a Mexican acquaintance corrected me, Mango Manila. At the groceries in Toronto, they’re called Ataulfo. I wonder if Mango Manila refers to mangoes only from the Philippines, and those grown outside as Ataulfo.
Hi Alex,
Thanks for visiting my site.
I do not have a proper answer on your question because I do not know. After searching the internet I found something about Ataulfo HERE. It seems to be the same mango, but I am not 100% sure.
The Philippine mango is also called Cebu mango, because most of the plantations for export and dried mangoes are in Cebu island.