Trader Joe's Dried Fruit Chile Spiced Mango

Known worldwide as the 'king of fruit', mango is a fruit with origins in India. It was first brought to California in 1880. Mangoes can actually be very sacred. For instance, the Hindu culture hanging fresh mango leaves outside the front door during Hindu New Year and Deepavali is considered a blessing to the house. In India it can also be a symbol of love, and the tree is believed to grant wishes.

Don't feed your mango leaves to cattle or livestock because it is poison to them. Distant relatives of mango plants include the cashew, pistachio, Jamaica plum, poison ivy and poison oak. Mangoes are high in vitamin C and vitamin A; but they also contain other health benefits.

Most dieters say that you should stay away from mangoes and bananas to lose weight; I disagree. An average whole mango that I buy is 100 calories for the whole thing. It tastes better than candy and it is a very healthy dessert.



On my last trip to Trader Joe's, I hit the fruit and nut section on my visit because dried fruit and nuts are the perfect on the go snacks. I like to pick up different things each time I go, and this time I chose the Chile Spiced Mango. Putting spices on fruit is a popular tradition started in Mexico. One of the best fruits to spice is mango; fresh or dry. These particular mango slices were covered in paprika, sugar salt, and cayenne pepper.

The mango pieces were very fresh and generously covered in spices. I love spicy food but hey could have put a little less; the spices overpowered the fruit. Nevertheless it still tasted good. It wasn't as hot as Hot Cheetos, but still spicy for those who don't like spicy food.


Nutrition Facts:
¼ cup (30g)
Calories: 110
Fat: 0g
Carbs: 27g
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 0g

So taking a look at the nutrition facts, it's not exactly the healthiest dried fruit option, but the spices did keep you full. It is a great pre-workout snack; which is usually when I would consume these.

Overall, they were pretty good. They could cut back on the spices a little. In the end I would prefer the plain dried mango (actually I would prefer fresh overall). But I would consider trying them out because trying new things is fun. It adds spice to life.

I give these a 5/10. They weren't anything memorable. A little overpriced too, but good.