Gandaria
Bouea macrophylla · Anacardiaceae · also known as Marian plum, Plum mango, Maprang, Ramania
A small golden "plum mango" from Southeast Asia — a mango relative the size of an apricot, eaten ripe and sweet or green and sour in salads and sambals across Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
At a glance
- Taste
- Ripe, it's sweet and mango-like with a turpentine-free, clean tropical flavor and a faintly resinous note; green, it's crisp and sharply sour, used like an unripe mango.
- Origin
- Southeast Asia (the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia)
- Grown in
- Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines
- Peak season
- Spring, Summer
- Notable varieties
- Sweet and sour types
Sensory & practical profile
Taste fingerprint
- Sweetness
- Tartness
- Aroma
- Juiciness
- Firmness
Approximate, at peak ripeness · 0–5
- Ripe when
- Skin fully golden-orange and fragrant with a slight give for sweet eating; firm and green for sour cooking.
- How to eat
- Eat ripe out of hand around the single seed, or shred green fruit into sour salads and sambals the way you would an unripe mango.
- Typical price
- Budget
Gandaria is a true mango relative shrunk to apricot size — the "plum mango" — and Southeast Asian cooks exploit both its lives, eating it sweet and golden or green and mouth-puckering in the same season.
When it's in season, by region
| Region | Peak months |
|---|---|
| Southeast Asia | Feb–May (Thailand, Indonesia) |
How to select & store
Picking a ripe one
For eating ripe, choose fully golden-orange, fragrant fruit that yields slightly; for cooking, firm green fruit. Avoid shrivelled or leaking fruit.
Storing it
A few days at room temperature once ripe. The green fruit keeps a little longer and is pickled or used in salads promptly.
Practical uses
🍽️ Culinary
- Eaten fresh and ripe, like a small sweet mango
- Green fruit shredded into sour salads, sambals, and relishes
- Pickled and candied
- Juiced and made into cordials
🌿 Health & traditional
- Leaves and fruit used in regional folk medicine
🎎 Cultural
- Maprang in Thailand, ramania in Indonesia — a beloved dooryard and market fruit that changes name across the region
- Its resemblance to a tiny mango earns it the name "plum mango"
Eating gandaria: what to know
What regular consumption looks like
Gandaria is a nutritious everyday fruit, best enjoyed as part of a varied diet. It is a good source of vitamin C (about 40 mg per 100 g), supporting immune function and helping the body absorb iron from plant foods. Its pigments and polyphenols are antioxidants that population studies associate with heart health, though that reflects overall diet rather than any single fruit.
Sensible amounts
A typical fruit serving is roughly a handful, one medium fruit, or about 80 g, and two or more varied fruit servings a day is a sensible everyday pattern.
Evidence & conditions
As a whole fruit, Gandaria contributes fibre, vitamins, and beneficial plant compounds, but it has not been shown to treat or prevent any specific condition — so it is best enjoyed as part of a healthy diet rather than as a remedy.
Safety notes
- It belongs to the mango/cashew family: the sap and skin contain urushiol (the poison-ivy irritant) and can cause an itchy rash in sensitive people, though the ripe flesh is fine. Those allergic to cashew, pistachio, or poison ivy should be cautious handling it.
Gandaria: frequently asked questions
What does gandaria taste like?
Ripe, it's sweet and mango-like with a turpentine-free, clean tropical flavor and a faintly resinous note; green, it's crisp and sharply sour, used like an unripe mango.
When is gandaria in season?
Gandaria is typically in season Southeast Asia (Feb–May (Thailand, Indonesia)). Peak months shift between the northern and southern hemispheres.
How do you eat gandaria?
Eat ripe out of hand around the single seed, or shred green fruit into sour salads and sambals the way you would an unripe mango.
How do you know when gandaria is ripe?
Skin fully golden-orange and fragrant with a slight give for sweet eating; firm and green for sour cooking.
Is gandaria good for you?
Gandaria is a nutritious everyday fruit, best enjoyed as part of a varied diet. It is a good source of vitamin C (about 40 mg per 100 g), supporting immune function and helping the body absorb iron from plant foods. Its pigments and polyphenols are antioxidants that population studies associate with heart health, though that reflects overall diet rather than any single fruit.
How much gandaria should you eat?
A typical fruit serving is roughly a handful, one medium fruit, or about 80 g, and two or more varied fruit servings a day is a sensible everyday pattern.
The gandaria looks like a golden apricot but tastes like a small, clean mango — no surprise, since it’s a genuine mango relative in the same family. Across Thailand (maprang), Indonesia (ramania), and Malaysia, it’s a beloved dooryard and market fruit with two distinct lives depending on ripeness.
Sweet or sour, take your pick
Ripe, gandaria is eaten fresh: fully golden-orange, fragrant, sweet, and juicy around a single seed, with a light tropical flavor free of the turpentine note some mangoes carry. Green, it’s a different ingredient entirely — crisp and sharply sour, shredded into salads, sambals, and relishes exactly the way Southeast Asian cooks use an unripe mango. It also pickles, candies, and juices well. Small, pretty, and versatile, it’s the kind of fruit that fills a regional market stall but rarely travels — best met where it grows, sweet from the hand or sour from the salad bowl. For its tangy cousins in the same family, see ambarella and sineguelas.
