The biggest delight of summers - Mangoes

CC#7 - SUCHIKA JAIN

The king of fruits

Origin

1. Belongs to the genus Mangifera

2. Originated from the Malayalam word māṅṅa

3. Native to South and Southeast Asia

4. Trees grow up to 35–40 m: The trees are long-lived, as some specimens still fruit after 300 years

Source: 1. Purdue University ; 2. Kostermans AJHG, Bompard JM, 1993. The Mangoes: Their Botany, Nomenclature, Horticulture and Utilization

How the world got mangoes?

4

Source : French Minisitry of Agriculture and the Statistical Division (FAOSTAT) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

They are believed to have originated in India, and there’s evidence that mango trees were cultivated and grown there for at least 4,000 years. From India, Buddhist monks took mangoes on their voyages to other lands. By the 10th century, the mango had reached as far as the Middle East and even Africa. Later they were cultivated in South America, and by 1880, mangoes were introduced to California.

Asia, where the mango is native, is the largest mango producer, representing 77% of global production, followed by the Americas with 13% and Africa with 10%. On the Asian continent, India, where the mango is considered the king of fruits, is the main global producer with 13 to 17 Mt, followed by China (>4 Mt), Thailand (2.5 Mt), and Pakistan (1.7 Mt). In America, Mexico (1.5 Mt) and Brazil (1.2Mt) are placed 5th and 7th respectively in the world rankings.

Some facts and mythology

• Native to South and Southeast Asia• Most consumed tropical fruit in the world • National fruit of India, Pakistan, and the Philippines• National tree of Bangladesh

Source : UNCTAD

The Mughal emperor Akbar (1556-1605 AD) is said to have planted a mango orchard having 100,000 trees in Darbhanga, eastern India. The Jain goddess Ambika is traditionally represented as sitting under a mango tree. In Hinduism, the perfectly ripe mango is often held by Lord Ganesha as a symbol of attainment, regarding the devotees' potential perfection. Mango blossoms are also used in the worship of the Hindu goddess Saraswati.

Nutritional Benefits

• Vitamin A

• Vitamin C

• Vitamin B-6

• Magnesium

• Calcium

• Iron

Source: The Guardian

Mangos provide 100% of your daily vitamin C, 35% of your daily vitamin A and 12% of your daily fiber

Uses

• Leaves used for decorations

• Stone/ Kernel is used for Ayurvedic medicine

• Preserves like pickles, murabba and amchoor

• Dried mango flowers are used in the treatment of diarrhea, chronic dysentery and some problems of the bladder.

The Indian varieties

Alphonso: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.

Kesar

Sinduri Chaunsa

Safeda/ Banganapalli: Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu Dussehri: Uttar Pradesh,

Haryana and Punjab langra Totapuri: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu

How to pick a mango?

Should not be squashy or too hard. It should press softly in hand.

Does not have to be yellow all the time. Different mangoes are ripe at different colors

Relish mangoes in various forms

Thank YouA story related to MangoesIt was the summer season. Akbar and his Begum were sitting on the palace’s terrace. The Emperor and the empress were relishing upon the fresh ripe juicy mangoes. Birbal, the favorite companion of Akbar was also sitting there and chatting with them.Akbar was relaxed and in a mood for fun. The Emperor decided to tease his Begam. He ate the mangoes and placed the left over skins and stones in front of his Begam. Soon a big heap of skins and stones of the mangoes, eaten by both of them, was formed before the Empress. Whereas, no stone or skin was seen in front of Akbar. Totally unaware of it, the Empress was busy in eating the mangoes.Just to embarass the Empress, Akbar pointed towards the big heap of stones and skin and said, “Look Birbal! How much hungry is your Empress. She ate so many mangoes all alone!”The Empress was very much embarassed by Akbar’s sudden remarks. However, Birbal could not tolerate the Emperor’s dishonesty.“I beg your pardon, Your Majesty! It seems that you are much more hungry than the Empress. She ate only the pulp of the mangoes, but you did not even spare the skins and stones,” said Birbal, pointing towards the clean space in front of the Emperor who was still eating the mangoes. Free from her embarassment, the Empress giggled while Akbar was tongue-tied.