Many people love mangoes for their sweet, juicy, and slightly sour taste. Mangoes are fruits that you can eat by themselves or use to make different kinds of foods like salads, drinks, and desserts.
But, some people get confused about what kind of fruit mangoes really are. Are they citrus fruits or stone fruits? This article is here to clear that up.
Understanding Citrus Fruits
Citrus fruits are known for being sour or tangy and they’re packed with vitamin C. They usually have a round or oval shape and skin that’s not too hard to peel. These fruits come from warm parts of the world like Asia, Australia, and the Mediterranean.
Mangoes may taste a bit like citrus fruits because they are also tropical and have a sweet-tangy flavor. But, they are not citrus fruits. They have a thicker skin, a big seed in the middle, and their flesh has more fibers in it.
Some examples of true citrus fruits are oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, and tangerines.
What Makes a Stone Fruit?
Stone fruits, or drupes, have soft flesh on the outside and a hard, stony seed or pit in the middle. They are usually sweet and you can eat them as they are or cook with them.
The outside of stone fruits can be different—some are firm and some are really juicy. But you always need to take out the hard seed in the middle before you eat them.
Mangoes do have juicy, sweet flesh like stone fruits, but the seed inside a mango isn’t hard like a stone. It’s big, flat, and more like a big bean in the middle of the fruit.
Stone fruits mainly come from cooler places and include things like peaches, plums, apricots, cherries, and nectarines.
So, What’s the Final Verdict on Mangoes?
Mangoes fall under the category of drupes or stone fruits. Because of the way their seed is – large, flat, and in the middle – they are not like the hard-seeded fruits we typically think of as stone fruits. But they are closer to being a stone fruit than a citrus fruit.
Knowing what kind of fruit mangoes are can help us learn about the good things they offer. Mangoes have lots of vitamins, minerals, and stuff called antioxidants that make your immune system stronger, help your stomach work better, and may even keep you from getting sick with certain diseases. They don’t have many calories and give you lots of fiber, which makes them a good choice for a healthy diet.
In the end, even though people sometimes get mixed up, mangoes are definitely stone fruits, or drupes, and not citrus. Knowing what mangoes really are can make us enjoy them even more, especially when we think about the benefits they give us. And, the next time you’re eating a mango, you can share what you’ve learned about fruit categories with others.
