What is it about mango and chile spice that just works? That combination of sweet and tangy with a peppery kick is equal parts refreshing and sweat-inducing. The flavor mashup works in Trader Joe’s bags of dried mango liberally coated in chile powder, or simply in a bowl of cold, fresh mango chunks sprinkled with spice.
Then there’s the classic Mexican drink the mangonada, which takes it to levels Baton Rouge is only recently discovering.
Imagine a mango smoothie laced in a savory, spicy red sauce, topped with fresh mango, dusted with chile seasoning and served with a spicy tamarind straw. It sounds like too much, but it works on every level. It’s essentially a tropical fruit smoothie adhering to that Mexican rule of adding chile powder even to dessert.
|
|
|
Read on for more about this sweet treat and the local cafes and smoothie shops around Baton Rouge where you can try it. This story originally appeared in a June 2019 edition of 225 Dine.