Uses for Mango Seeds
Every mango has a long flat seed in the center. If you’re just planning on eating the fruit, you can cut around the mango seed to get at all that delicious flesh. But what you might not realize is that there are a variety of uses for mango seeds.
The first thing you can do is just eat away all that extra flesh around the seed! Most people are inclined to just throw the seed away, but if you take a look, you’ll notice lots of tasty fruit still hanging on to the seed. Take your mango seed, head over to the sink and prepare to get juicy! Get every last bit.
Mangos seeds can be incorporated into cooking and used to add flavor to dishes. In a recipe created by the Culinary Institute of America, a traditional Mexican mole sauce is flavored by simmering the sauce with the mango seeds.
The seeds can also be used to create infused alcohol or shrubs to include in cocktails. For a fresh mango seed infused vodka, just combine mango seeds with vodka and let the combination sit for 24 hours.
Mango seeds can also be used as a natural teether for babies. In the Caribbean and other parts of the world, moms will take their leftover mango seeds and give them to babies to sooth their aching gums. Babies love the sweet and fruity flavor left on the mango seed, while it ultimately helps relieve pain.
If you live in a warm environment that typically stays above 40°F, save your mango seed and plant it into the ground! After you eat the flesh, split the seed and plant it in a large pot about ¼ inch from the surface. Keep the pot in a warm location and ensure the soil stays moist. It takes about two weeks for a mango seed to sprout. A mango tree grown from a seed can produce fruit, but it will take up to three years.
