Mangifera laurina fruit

What it is

The fruit looks like a small mango, about 6–10 cm (2.4–4 in) long and 4–5 cm (1.6–2 in) wide. Its pale yellow ripe skin covers soft, fibrous, juicy yellow flesh. There is only a little flesh around the stone, which is 4.5–5.5 cm (1.8–2.2 in) long. As the fruit matures, that thin layer becomes liquid.

Where it comes from

Its wild home stretches from peninsular Thailand to New Guinea through lowland tropical rainforest. People probably grew it before the common mango, Mangifera indica, arrived in the region. In northern Sarawak, on Borneo, mangga aer is one of the wild mangoes growing in forest patches and home gardens close to the South China Sea.

How it's eaten where it grows

In its Southeast Asian home, the fruit has two uses tied to ripeness. Immature fruit is sliced into rujak and served with a spicy sauce. Ripe fruit is eaten by sucking out the fluid pulp. The young slices are the more common choice for eating; the ripe fruit offers the soft, juicy texture and sweet-tart flavour.

How it's grown

The tree reaches about 20–30 m (66–98 ft), sometimes taller, and can form short, thick flanges of root at the trunk's base. It suits wet tropical lowlands and can flower after a short dry spell.

In Kalimantan, it makes a suitable rootstock for common mango varieties grown on riverbanks that flood periodically. The pairing also works the other way: in Florida, Mangifera laurina has been grafted onto the common mango variety Turpentine.

When and where you'll find it

Local names help place the fruit. In West Java it is mangga pari; in East Java, pelem kecik. In Kalimantan and Sumatra it is empelem, and in Sabah, mangga ayer. Borneo's home gardens are one setting for this fruit, alongside the region's wild mango trees.