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Noel Gillett started his pilot project back in 2015 while doing his thesis during his final semester for his Bacherlor's Degree at the University of Belize. At that time, he had documented 18 varieties but he didn't stop there.

Now, he has 33 named varieties and 9 unnamed - a total of 42. He told us that he always had an interest in the tropical fruit growing up and during his research, he found himself searching far and wide - and high up in trees - to find different kinds of mangoes.

Noel Gillett, Mango Researcher
"Hunting down these mango varieties was very interesting, I had to climb trees for the first 18, some would be on the ground too as well. As I progressed into this research, I managed to get my hands on some from the supermarkets and fruit trucks, so it's actually a whole mixture of collection of the ones that were available for sale. But I had to do a lot of cross checking with the names because in my paper I wrote, I mentioned that these mango varieties are local with the population and as such, in one district, each mango variety can be referred to as another one in another district."

And during his research he quickly learned that some mangoes were a lot easier to track down than others.

Noel Gillett, Mango Researcher
"I think everyone is familiar with the common mango but for some reason, common mango isn't so common in Belize anymore, I'm not sure if you noticed that. The ones that were easy to find are without a doubt number 11, slippers, black mango, and judgewig sometimes. But there are the weird ones that are a harder to find: the thundershaw, hofius, heat, yellow gold, shangoshaw, it came to be a lot."

He also found out the types of mangoes most beloved by Belizeans and that taste and texture played a big role.

Noel Gillett, Mango Researcher
"Honestly I would say the best ones in taste, let's stick to taste, are hard skin, hofius, thundershaw. Those subjectively I think were really good in terms of taste."

"It's not just about the taste, the presence of fiber, when there's no fiber, they don't get stuck in your teeth, so I'm sure everyone knows like the Julie mango or the ice cream mangoes and those - those don't have much fiber in them so when you eat it, it doesn't get stuck in your teeth."

So we put this theory to test today just outside the Michael Finnegan Market. One vendor from Corozal said the sweeter than mango, the better.

Herere Dominguez, Mango Vendor
"We have the judgewig, number 11, and this Hofius."

Courtney Menzies:
"And you said the number 11 is gone so that's the one most people buy."

Herere Dominguez, Mango Vendor
"Yes most, some ones like better the black ones but some like more the 11."

Courtney Menzies:
"Why do you think they like those kinds?"

Herere Dominguez, Mango Vendor
"It more sweeter, more nice."

Courtney Menzies:
"How many types of mangoes do you think that you know about?"

Herere Dominguez, Mango Vendor
"Well I know about six of them, apple mango, thundershaw, number 11, black mangoes, judgewig, blue mango."

Courtney Menzies:
"And you think most people know about all these kinds?"

Herere Dominguez, Mango Vendor
"I don't think so. Some of them, yes."

Another vendor whose been selling for 21 years had mastered the types the most Belizeans are drawn to.

Courtney Menzies:
"What kind of mangoes do you find people buy more?"

Mr Mejia, Mango Vendor
"Black mango."

Courtney Menzies:
"Why do you think so?"

Mr Mejia, Mango Vendor
"Because it come in early, it's sweeter, and it go quick. Then number 11 come after. Everybody love black mango."

Courtney Menzies:
"How many mango types do you know about?"

Mr Mejia, Mango Vendor
"I know a lot: black, number 11, apple mango, and blue mango. They buy by taste, if it taste nice and look good, they will buy."

And a third mango sold those that were most commonly found in his village of Conception.

Courtney Menzies:
"Do they grow a lot of mangoes up there?"

Juan Carlos Miranda, Mango Vendor
"A lot of mangoes, different types of mangoes."

Courtney Menzies:
"What all types do they grow?"

Juan Carlos Miranda, Mango Vendor
"Number 11, apple mango, I think you find the hofius mango and this, black mangoes."

Courtney Menzies:
"So today you're only selling the black mango though?"

Juan Carlos Miranda, Mango Vendor
"Yes, today I bring all those kinds but I done sell it all. These are the sweetest mangoes."

Courtney Menzies:
"So people prefer these, you think?"

Juan Carlos Miranda, Mango Vendor
"Yes, black mangoes, because they are sweet."

Courtney Menzies:
"Do you know about the different kind of mangoes like slippers and turpentine?"

Juan Carlos Miranda, Mango Vendor
"No because in my village only these kinds of mangoes we have."

And what about mango buyers? Well, we met up with two - one who only stuck to his favorite type of mango and another whose knowledge could possibly rival our mango expert.

Victor Madu, Mango Buyer
"I like the black one."

Courtney Menzies:
"Why do you like it?"

Victor Madu, Mango Buyer
"It's nice."

Courtney Menzies:
"The sweetness of it?"

Victor Madu, Mango Buyer
"The sweetness, yes."

Courtney Menzies:
"How many mangoes do you think you know about?"

Victor Madu, Mango Buyer
"Only this one, I only know this."

Courtney Menzies:
"How many mangoes do you think you've eaten since mango season began?"

Victor Madu, Mango Buyer
"I can't be able to count it now."

Courtney Menzies:
"But it's a lot?"

Victor Madu, Mango Buyer
"Yes almost, every day, two in a day."

Leonard Usher, Mango Buyer
"My type of mango normally we shouldn't eat it because we are diabetic but when I was coming out my wife said make sure I get some number 11 and some black mango for her."

Courtney Menzies:
"So those are the sweetest?"

Leonard Usher, Mango Buyer
"Those are the sweetest so I hope when I go home, she's satisfied. I'm not taking too much because both of us are diabetics. My mango they weh I like,, I mostly like the tun mango, they would peel it and cut it up with salt and that's how I enjoy it."

Courtney Menzies:
"So how many different types of mangoes you think you know about?"

Leonard Usher, Mango Buyer
"Well I going 68 now, and I mostly come from a mango place, Mullins River, so I know about blue mango, I know about number 11, I know about thunder share, and I always hear about black mango."

Courtney Menzies:
"So what about the slippers or the turpentine?"

Leonard Usher, Mango Buyer
"Well the slippers is very good but you don't see that one too much like when we were much younger. Blue mango is a very good mango, always sweet."

Courtney Menzies:
"What about the grafted, have you heard about that?"

Leonard Usher, Mango Buyer
"The grafted mango is the one that they put two mango together and they turn into one. That always good mango too because you won't put all kinds of mango together, you will put the best."

Of course, those were nowhere near the full list of mangoes from Gillett's research. Missing were other well known ones such as Julie mangoes, cambodiama, yellow, and hairy mangoes.

Gillett hopes to one day publish a book on the different mango varieties in Belize.