Look no farther if you've ever wondered what the priciest mango is. The Miyazaki mango has a distinctive appearance from other mangoes, since it is only grown in one region in Japan. However, at about $50 each, or $4,000 at auctions, are they really worth the astronomical price? Find out by reading on!
What are Miyazaki Mangoes?
Mangos grown in the Miyazaki prefecture near the southernmost tip of Kyushu Island are a unique kind known as Miyazaki mangoes. According to the Official Miyazaki City travel guide website, this area of Japan is well renowned for its fruit production, which includes lychees and kumquats. This is because of the "warm weather, long hours of sunlight paired with the appropriate quantity of rainfall."
A Miyazaki mango, also known as "egg of the sun" or Taiyo-no-Tomago in Japanese, stands out for its size and weight, which is at least 350g. Or perhaps it's the color, which calls to mind its other moniker of "dragon's eggs" and is a deep shade of rich crimson that borders on purple. They have stunning aesthetic appeal, and when you cut into the skin, the flesh is absurdly sweet, vivid yellow, creamy, juicy, fragrant, and hardly fibrous at all. This mango nearly melts in the mouth when you bite into it!
There are a few requirements for a Miyazaki mango to be labeled as a Taiyo no Tamago:
- Be perfectly dark red with as little yellow as possible and no green
- Bear no flaw or blemish
- Be over 350 grams or 12.35 ounces in weight
- Have a sugar content of 15 percent or more
- Be of perfect size, i.e. over the 2L size standard
Once a mango has been harvested, professionally inspected, and labeled Taiyo no Tamago, it will be put up for auction at Miyazaki Central Wholesale Market. There, representatives of luxury department stores purchase them for nearly $4000. The Taiyo no Tamago will later be displayed and sold to the public in those stores.
Where are Miyazaki Mangoes from?
Unexpectedly, the Miyazaki mango is a relatively new fruit craze. They are descendants of a 'Irwin' mango variety that was created in Florida in the 1940s; identical fruits are now offered in the United States for just a few dollars each.
More precisely, the Irwin variety was discovered in 1949 and spread globally from Florida. It’s the source of the Miyazaki mangoes, and are now commonly grown in Australia, Taiwan and Japan.
Irwin mangoes are oval, of medium size, and usually turn from a lovely yellow to a bright red when they are ripe. This is quite different from other varieties that are found in supermarkets in the US and Europe like the Haden mango (large, oval-round, and red with green and yellow tones) or the Atalfo mango (small, kidney bean-shaped, and yellow).
Once the Irwin mango arrived in Japan, a few Japanese farmers started growing Miyazaki mangoes in the 1980s learned after their first harvest that the fruits tasted very differently depending on how they were harvested. These mangoes became well-known all over the world after their popularity quickly grew.
How to grow Miyazaki Mangoes?
To begin with, they are only grown in Miyazaki city, which is situated in the Kyushu prefecture of southern Japan. It's a place that grows a lot of citrus fruit, including lychee and kumquat, but Miyazaki's subtropical climate, with its rich soil, plentiful sunshine, and high temperatures, is especially ideal for these mangoes.
However, Miyazaki mangoes are not cultivated outdoors at the whim of the weather. The mango trees are kept inside enclosed greenhouses with carefully controlled temperatures for the duration of their lives to provide the greatest fruit possible.
Executive decisions are made by farmers early in the growing phase. To help the chosen fruit develop bigger and absorb all the nutrients from the plant, about 80% of the blossoming fruits are cut off from the stem.
Each fruit is meticulously wrapped in a net while still young and fastened to an overhead wire dangling from the top of the greenhouse. In addition to supporting their eventual weight, this also helps because hanging each mango separately gives them their distinct hue. They turn a rich red in the Miyazaki sunshine, and reflectors placed beneath the fruit help to ensure that the color is uniform throughout.
Mangoes are only gathered when they naturally fall from trees, not when farmers manually pluck them, and the netting helps to soften their fall. The mangoes are certain to have their distinctively sweet and melt-in-your-mouth flavor in this fashion, while they still undergo a series of inspections and tests before being sold and shipped to ensure that they are the ideal weight, size, shape, and sugar content.
Why are Miyazaki Mangoes different?
Undoubtedly, compared to other mango varieties, the Miyazaki mango is sweeter, larger, and darker. But what really adds value to the price is the producers' incredibly high level of attention to detail with their mangoes.
Between April and August is when Miyazaki mangoes are at their peak of production. The best mangoes are harvested and then sent to an auction where big distributors bid on them. The average cost of a mango is $50, but at some auctions, a single fruit has sold for $2000!
What do Miyazaki mangoes taste like?
Having not tasted them myself, I can only report what’s being discussed in various online forums. But the overall consensus seems to be that the flesh of the Miyazaki mangoes is very juicy, sweet, creamy, and not fibrous like some Green Mangoes might be.
You can cut and peel Miyazaki mangoes easily, since each Miyazaki mango sold has reached peak maturity and fell from the tree on its own.
What are the best Miyazaki Mango Snack?
If you can't find the original mangoes, rest assured, there are many snacks for you to try. They are all made with some authentic Miyazaki mangoes and delicious. We recommend the following.
Miyazaki Mango Langue de Chat
Miyazaki Mango Langue de Chat is a mango chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of Langue de Chat. The Langue de dough is kneaded with jam made by boiling mangoes from Miyazaki Prefecture for a long time. The chocolate is also made with mangoes from Miyazaki Prefecture, so when you take a bite, the sweetness of the rich, melt-in-your-mouth mango chocolate and the aroma of tropical mangoes fill your mouth, creating a confection that is unique to the tropical island of Miyazaki, with its blue sky, blue sea, and strong sunshine.
Mangoes grown in Miyazaki Prefecture are high quality mangoes produced in a warm climate and with advanced technology, and are characterized by their smooth flesh with little fibers, mellow aroma, and rich, melting sweetness. The mango jam kneaded into the dough is made from puréed Miyazaki mangoes, with the seeds removed one by one, by hand and then puréed and boiled down.
Miyazaki Mango Ring Cake
One of the most popular treats from Miyazaki is the "Miyazaki Mango Ring Cake," developed with the cooperation of local mango farmers in Aoshima. The cake makes effective use of out-of-spec mangoes produced in Miyazaki Prefecture, which are traded at a high price as brand-name agricultural products. The mangoes are processed into purée and kneaded into the batter.
The moist texture is impressive, with a delicate softness that easily melts in the mouth. The rich aroma of ripe mangoes spreads out, and the refined sweetness of the caramel sauce that soaks into the mangoes is exquisitely balanced.
The package design also gives the product a luxurious feel, making it a thoughtful souvenir that is sure to please. This is a limited-edition product available only at "Roadside Station Phoenix," so do not hesitate to pick one up when you stop by.
Miyazaki Mango Cream Roll
This one is a crispy-baked pastry with a light texture. The cream is made from mangoes grown in Miyazaki Prefecture, and the mango flavor will fill your mouth. Each box is filled with plenty of rolls, and it makes for a perfect gift!
Miyazaki Mango Daif*cku
This Miyazaki Mango Daif*cku is made by a Japanese confectioner that produces 1 million Daif*cku per year in Miyazaki City. They are particular about faithfully reproducing the taste and aroma of the original Miyazaki mango.
In addition to the taste, this gem is made in a factory with strict hygiene control. In the center of the soft daif*cku is a generous amount of custom-made Miyazaki mango jam from Nagatomo Farm in Miyazaki City, which is well known for its fruit jam.
The jam is wrapped in a mango bean paste made from alphonso mangoes. Daif*cku is very popular in Miyazaki, where people say, "It's like eating a mango without any jam.
Nangoku Pudding
Nangoku Pudding, a pudding specialty store in Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan (operated by Nangoku CBF Co., Ltd.; President: Tomomasa Kono), is selling all over Japan.
It's a simple pudding using the best ingredients; the flavors are very simply delightful.
Nangoku Pudding" is a pudding that expresses Miyazaki's precious retro atmosphere from 1965, when the city was known as a honeymoon mecca, and is a representative of the Showa era sweets of that time.
Where to try Miyazaki Mangoes
Mangoes from Miyazaki are generally not bought casually and eaten on a daily basis. Since Japan is a gift-giving nation, pricey fruits like these are frequently given to symbolize official occasions and business agreements. Because of this, the mangoes are exquisitely wrapped in delicately crafted boxes with plush cushioning, making them the ideal gift.
There are a few ways to consume a Miyazaki mango if you manage to find one in the US. Just a few millimeters from the stem, make a straight cut through the mango's middle. Four equal pieces should be cut and flipped flesh side up. Score in both directions, so the squares spread out. Then take a bite of one of these infamous mangoes.
Have a look at ZenPop where, when in season, we also feature some delicious Miyazaki mango-flavored snacks in our boxes! Or learn more about unique fruits from Japan, like:
- Japanese Peaches
- Japanese Amaou Strawberries
- Japanese Pears
