Victorian Mango Fool is a traditional Anglo-Indian recipe from the 1860s for a classic dessert of sweetened green mango puree blended with milk. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Anglo-Indian version of: Victorian Mango Fool.
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This is a traditional Anglo-Indian recipe redacted from the volume THE INDIAN COOKERY BOOK: A Practical Handbook to The Kitchen in India (author unknown), published by: WYMAN & CO., HARE STREET CALCUTTA circa 1869.
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Original Recipe
261.—Mango Fool
Take six green mangoes; remove every particle of the green peel, cut them into four, and steep them
in clean water; throw the stones away; boil the fruit perfectly tender, pulp and pass it through a
sieve, sweeten to your taste, and add to it very gradually, stirring all the while, as much good pure
milk as will reduce it to the consistency of custard. It should be eaten on the day it is made.
Modern Redaction
A fool is an Elizabethan invention, when fresh milk started to become available in English cities. It's typically a blend of pureed fruit and cream. This recipe represents a cross-over point when the concept of the 'fool' was introduced to India and the native fruit, mango, was used to make fools. Interestingly, as mango pupl is so thick, it allows the use of milk rather than cream in preparing the fool.
Ingredients
2 green mangoes
whole milk, as needed
jaggery, sugar or honey, to taste
Method:
Peel the mangoes, quarter the flesh then place in a bowl, cover with water and set aside to steep for 1 hour.
After this time, discard the stones, chop the fruit, place the pieces in a pan with 4 tbsp water. Bing to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for around 25 minutes, or until the fruit is reduced to a pulp.
Pass the pulp through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl then sweeten to taste with jaggery, sugar or honey to taste.
Blend enough whole milk with the mango pulp to yiled a custard-like consistency. Divide between serving glasses, place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours then serve.
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