RECIPE - Stewed Mangaba (Doce de Mangaba)

This simple recipe for mangaba stewed in a spiced sugar syrup comes from the central Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Although mangabas are most commonly commercially cultivated in northeast Brazil, the mangabeira tree grows very well in the lands known as the cerrado, a topical savanna ecoregion that stretches for thousands of miles through the interior of Brazil. A major portion of Mato Grosso do Sul state lies within this ecoregion, which has been recognized by the WWF as biologically the richest savanna in the world.

Stewing fruits in a sugar syrup is a preserving technique that predates electrical refrigeration, and such fruits are a common sight on Brazilian dessert tables to this day. What was once done as a necessity is now done as a culinary tradition. Served with ice cream, or with thick cream, stewed mangaba is a deliciously satisfying way to end a meal.


____________________________________________________
RECIPE - Stewed Mangaba (Doce de Mangaba)

8 pints mangaba fruit
1 lemon
4 cups (750 gr) white granulated sugar
2 cups (500 ml) water
3 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wash the mangabas well, then pierce their skin in various places with a fork to extract the milky latex. Place the mangabas in plenty of cold water that has been acidulated with the juice of one lemon for at least four hours. Drain, rinse and reserve.

Meanwhile combine the 2 cups of water with the sugar in a large pan and heat over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the clove and cinnamon, increase the heat, and bring to a boil. Boil for a few minutes, then add the drained mangaba, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 30 minutes or until the fruit has softened and the syrup thickened. The fruit will darken during the cooking process.

Remove from heat, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate if desired. Can be served either at room temperature or chilled.

INGREDIENTS - Mangaba

In Brazil, a native fruit called mangaba is often confused by non-Portuguese speakers with mango (manga in Portuguese) because of the similarity of their names - mangaba/manga. However there is no botanical connection between the two fruits, and culinarily no connection in flavor. The mango is native to the Indian subcontinent and has spread around the world, being cultivated in almost every tropical area. The mangaba (Hancornia speciosa) is native to Brazil and is almost exclusively cultivated there to this day. Although it's an extremely popular fruit in Brazil, particularly in the northeast, it's almost unknown outside the country.

The mangaba fruit is a round yellow-to-red colored ball about the size of a baseball. The interior of the fruit is white with a number of small seeds. When the fruit is ripe, the pulp is so soft it practically melts in the mouth. The flavor is sweet and the fruit is highly perfumed. In the native Tupi-Guarani language which gave the fruit its name mangaba means (straightforwardly) "fruit that is good to eat." Few contemporary Brazilians would beg to differ with their native ancestors.

The tree which produces the mangaba fruit, known as the mangabeira, is related to the plumeria (or frangipani) tree which is known in places like Hawaii, Florida and Mexico for it's beautiful waxy, perfumed flowers. The mangabeira is also cultivated in Brazil for its beautiful red wood, and its latex produces a pink-hued rubber. It is also very useful in apiculture, as honey bees are attracted to its flowers and their nectar.

In Brazil, mangaba is enjoyed fresh, and also is used in the production of juice, ice cream, sweets and conserves, and in fruit wine. In Sergipe, the small northeastern state which produces the bulk of Brazilian mangaba, mangaba-flavored ice cream and pulp concentrates are the most consumed flavors of any fruit. Fresh mangaba is normally only available in the northeastern region of Brazil, as it is very perishable once ripe, but juices, ice creams and frozen pulp are available everywhere in Brazil.

Mangaba juice can be combined with cachaça to make a delicious caipifruta cocktail. Or it can be drunk as a eye-opener juice first thing in the morning. It's a very easy flavor to like, uncomplicated, sweet and delicious. Just one more Flavor of Brazil that requires a journey to Brazil to know - and it's worth the journey.