orange color comes from carotenoid pigments, mainly betacarotene Mangoes are climacteric fruits that accumulate starch, so they can be picked green and will sweeten and soften as they ripen, from the seed outwards Their flavor is especially complex, and may be dominated by the compounds that characterize peaches and coconuts (lactones), generically fruity esters, medicinal or even turpentiny terpenes, and caramel notes Green mangoes are very tart, and are made into pickles as well as dried and ground to make an acidifying powder (Hindi amchur) Mango pickles were so admired in 18th-century England that the fruit lent its name to the preparation and to other suitable materials: hence “mango peppers.” Mangosteen The mangosteen is the mediumsized, leathery-skinned fruit of an Asian tree, G arcinia mangostana Its white flesh consists of the arils around several seeds, and is moist and has a pleasing sweet-tart balance, with a delicate, fruity and flowery aroma, something like a lychee It’s usually eaten fresh or in preserves, and is also canned Food Words: Tropical Fruits Many of our words for tropical fruits come from the peoples among whom Western travelers first encountered them Banana comes from several West African languages, mango from south Indian Tamil, papaya from Carib, durian from Malay (a word meaning “thorn”) Papaya Papayas are species of the genus Carica, a native of the American tropics that looks like a small tree but is actually a large herbaceous plant The common papaya, C papaya, consists of a thickened ovary wall, orange to orange-red with carotenoid pigments, and a few dark seeds in a large central cavity It is a climacteric fruit that doesn’t store any starch Ripening begins at ... Malay (a word meaning “thorn”) Papaya Papayas are species of the genus Carica, a native of the American tropics that looks like a small tree but is actually a large herbaceous plant The common papaya, C... preserves, and is also canned Food Words: Tropical Fruits Many of our words for tropical fruits come from the peoples among whom Western travelers first encountered them Banana comes from several West African languages, mango.. .and has a pleasing sweet-tart balance, with a delicate, fruity and flowery aroma, something like a lychee It’s usually eaten fresh or in preserves, and is also canned Food Words: Tropical Fruits