On Wed, 6 Aug 1997, Kathryn Lad wrote:
> I purchased some mangoes in my health food store and they really tasted
> good. I was going to use them for a recipe I had found in the archives.
> Anyway, the day after I ate one, my lips were covered with tiny blisters.
> Someone told me that ther is something in magoes like in poison ivy.
> Anyone else out there have a problem with mangoes? I'm disappointed
> that I can't eat them anymore... --
I don't know exactly what chemical causes this, but I know it is located
in the skin of the mango rather than the flesh. I once gnawed the skin
of a mango to get every last bit of flesh (I love mangos) and my lips
were sore afterwards, though I didn't get blisters.
You might try leaving more of the flesh on the skin to see if that
eliminates the problem, but you might just be extremely sensitive to the
chemical. Does anyone know what this chemical is? When I was about 8
years old, I think someone told me it was chemically similar to
turpentine, but my youthful memory may have distorted that.
Good luck,
Susan "Cheap mangos--California's main attraction?" Lehman
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