The bright, sunshiny taste of mangoes is doubtless one factor in their growing popularity, and their availability year round is another.
The fact that consumers love them doesn’t hurt either. The National Mango Board reports that consumption jumped 53 percent between 2005 and 2013, reaching nearly three pounds per person annually. But the ultimate driver of their soaring success on menus is likely their versatility, as mangoes have been making the scene all over food and beverage bills of fare.
The fruit is appearing more often in entrées, where it delivers flavor, color and texture, along with a dollop of ethnic authenticity. Mangoes are found throughout Mexico, Central America and South America, so they are right at home in Qdoba’s Spicy Tequila Mango Smothered Burrito, where they balance the heat of habanero peppers. Mangoes also provide a cooling counterpoint in El Pollo Loco’s Chicken Mango Avocado Tostada, in which they appear alongside poblano salsa in a jalapeño tostada shell.
Mangoes are in the cuisines of India and Southeast Asia, too, so they are a natural addition to the Mango Chicken Vermicelli Salad at Mama Fu’s Asian House. Steamed chicken and rice vermicelli noodles are tossed in togarashi ranch dressing and topped with mango-jalapeño salsa. The mango nicely offsets the spicy Japanese togarashi chiles and diced jalapeños. The fruit is also in perfect alignment with Bahama Breeze’s positioning as an “Island Grille,” and adds a taste of the tropics to the Jumbo Lump Crab Stack, along with chilled shrimp and avocado.
Super in salads and soups. Mangoes play well with a wide range of ingredients, as in Jason’s Deli’s vegetarian Quinoa Shrimp & Mango Salad, made with organic quinoa and greens, avocado, grape tomatoes, shrimp and mango, then topped with mango-Pickapeppa sauce. There’s also a double dose of mango in On The Border’s Mango Chicken Salad, where a mix of lettuces and cabbage, grilled chicken, queso fresco, roasted corn and black beans, and mangoes are finished with fat-free mango-citrus vinaigrette. The Florida Cobb Salad at Bonefish Grill boasts grilled chicken and Danish blue cheese, along with avocado and mango in citrus-herb vinaigrette, while the Sesame Grilled Salmon Salad at Seasons 52 includes mango and pineapple in lemon grass sauce. And in an unexpected twist on the standard, Hale and Hearty Soups invites patrons to chill out with a seasonal Coconut & Pineapple Gazpacho made with coconut milk, jalapeños and crushed red peppers, along with mangoes and other tropical fruits.
Super in sauces and condiments. Qdoba recently brought back mango salsa, a recurring summertime special that is packed with mangoes, cucumbers and red bell peppers, to add a sweet-and-spicy accent to its zesty entrées. Chili’s line of Craft Burgers includes the Sweet & Smoky Burger with spiced panko onion rings and mango-infused barbecue sauce, while Red Lobster’s Caribbean Grilled Salmon and Shrimp is served with a sophisticated sweet mango beurre blanc and topped with mango shrimp. Last spring, Taco Bell launched a limited-time line of crispy chicken breaded in tortilla chips with mango barbecue sauce as an optional topper.
Super in sippables, too. Early on, mangoes appeared in foodservice as a beverage ingredient, an accessible point of entry that brought them into the mass market, and the fruit has steadily maintained a place of honor on drink menus. Among TGI Fridays’ current cocktail offerings is Barbados Rum Punch with mango, passion fruit and strawberry purées, along with cane sugar. California Pizza Kitchen recently introduced a non-alcoholic Fresh Strawberry Mango Cooler; those who prefer a bit of a kick with their mangoes can choose the Mango Mango Mojito. Wendy’s pitches its line of new FruiTea Chillers as a coffee break alternative and includes Orange Mango with Carrot, hand-shaken with green tea.
Tropical Smoothie Café invites patrons to “Eat Better and Feel Better” by putting mangoes front and center in concoctions like Mango Magic, Sunny Day and Caribbean C-Burst Smoothies. And in May, Shari’s launched a retooled menu that includes made-to-order, real-fruit smoothies like Tropical Mango Burst. Customers in the mood for mango can order it alone or as part of a combo with a signature Pie Muffin.
Nancy Kruse, president of the Kruse Company, is a menu trends analyst based in Atlanta. As one of Linked In’s Top 100 Influencers in the US, she blogs regularly on food-related subjects on the Linked In website.