Maprang (Seedling) Fruit Plant

Maprang is botanically classified as Bouea macrophylla. They are also known as Gandaria, Marian plums, and Plum mangoes. Because of their shape and coloring, they are often mistaken for loquats. In 2015 in Britain, they were sold as “plangoes”, and were incorrectly assumed to be a cross between a plum and a mango. There are multiple varieties of Maprang that vary in levels of sweetness, sourness, and acidity, and these small fruits are favored in Asia for their versatility in both raw and cooked applications. Maprang fruit look like small mango fruits, but the taste is a bit different.

Maprang mangoes are an attractive diminutive fruit that are about the size and shape of an egg. They grow to 2 to 5 centimeters in diameter, and up to 6 centimeters in length. The outer skin is a light green in color, deepening to a neon-like orange-yellow apricot hue when the fruit is mature. When cut open, the fruit releases a mango-like fragrance with a hint of turpentine. The inner flesh is a bright orange. It is jelly-like and soft, and slightly fibrous. After the initial crisp bite, it bursts into the soft consistency of the aqueous flesh. Each fruit bears a large, edible but bitter seed that is a bright pink to purple in color. Depending on the variety, the flesh can be sour, sweet, or a mixture of sweet-tart flavors.

Mature Maprang mangoes are eaten fresh out of hand. The skin may be removed, but it is acceptable, and easier, to eat the fruit with the skin. Maprang has varying availability in select regions of Southeast Asia with a peak season in the late spring through summer.

Maprang Benefits:

• Maprang is an excellent source of vitamin C, fiber, and beta-carotene.
• The fruit also contains some calcium, iron, and phosphorous.
• They are also used in fruit salads known as rojak
• Used as a souring agent in cooked dishes like curries, where they are seen as a substitute for tamarind and sour lime.
• Maprang mangoes are used in pickles, compotes, and sambals