Mango Season in Cayman: The Sweetest Time of the Year
Mango season in Cayman is one of those things you quietly count down to, even if you’re not saying it out loud. The days start getting hotter, the trees a little heavier, and before long, you spot the first roadside vendor setting up under some shade with crates stacked high. That’s when it hits—you’ve made it to the good part of the year.
There’s something about knowing it’s mango season that just lifts the mood. Whether you’ve got your own tree, a hook-up through a friend, or you’re buying by the dozen every weekend, it becomes part of the rhythm of island life. You eat them fresh, over the sink. You bag them up to share. And even though it happens every year from around June to August, it still feels like a treat.
You’ve got your mango purists who swear by the classic East Indian. The diehards who chase down Julie mangoes like they’re concert tickets. Then there’s the Bombay lovers, those soft, stringy ones that you basically have to eat over the sink unless you want to ruin your shirt.
But me? I’m loyal to Nam Doc Mai. Smooth, sweet, and no fibres to pick out of your teeth. If mangoes had a luxury tier, this one’s sipping champagne at the top.
Everywhere you turn on island, mangoes are front and centre. Backyards overflowing, stalls popping up along the roadside, coworkers casually flexing that their tree “has been bearing early this year.” And if you’ve got a friend with a mango tree, you treat them better than family.
It’s not just about eating them fresh (though that’s the dream). It’s mango smoothies, mango chutney, mango cheesecake, mango BBQ sauce. Mango on everything, and no one’s complaining.
And let’s not forget the true local rite of passage, learning how to peel one with your teeth. If you know, you know.
Some folks get excited for Christmas, some for Carnival. Me? I get excited when I see the first green mangoes showing up at the farmers market. I know what’s coming. I know it’s about to be that time again.
So here’s to mango season. The most important event on the calendar, unofficial or not.
