| Mango Mania |
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 Its that time of the year again. The king of all fruits, the mango, has arrived and has taken over our senses, our markets and our menus. For this dessert fruit par excellence each buyer turns into a connoisseur, as he carefully analyses the colour, size and smell of this gorgeous fruit, and then hurries back home eager to devour this sweetest of nature’s gifts. Properly peeled and cut into cubes, or large sides sliced off, or cut ‘hedgehog style’, or simply devoured ‘monkey style’ – eating a mango is an experience each of us relishes and savours in our own peculiar ways. But do we know enough about this incredible fruit which plays havoc with our taste buds annually after the first showers of the summer?Scientists have been wondering for many years where mangos first came from. It appears that the mango is something of a prehistoric fruit. Their centre of origin is commonly held to be northeast India, Myanmar and Bangladesh after fossil records were found there dating back 25 to 30 million years. However, experts at the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany in India trace the origin of the mango to the hills of Meghalaya, India from a mango leaf purported to be 65 million years old, arguing thereon that the genus spread into the neighbouring regions of modern day South East Asia after the formation of land connections between India and Malaysia through Burma after the collision of the Indian plate with the Asian plate. After this land connection was established between India and Asia, the ancestral stock of Mangifera Indica migrated east and west and species diversified extensively in the Malaysian and Sumatran rain forests. The natural occurrence of all the Mangifera species extends as far north as 27° latitude and as Far East as the Caroline Islands, within which fall India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, southern China, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. However, with its tiny fruits, fibrous texture, and unpleasant turpentine taste, this wild mango bears little resemblance to the superlative mango we have come to enjoy today. As the mango came to be cultivated its flavor, size, and texture developed into the exotic, richly flavored succulent treat that we look forward to each May through September. The cultivation and domestication of mangos is believed to have begun in the Indian subcontinent, where they have been grown for more than 4000 years. Buddhist monks are believed to have taken mango plants on their voyages to Malaya and eastern Asia in the 4th and 5th centuries BC. The Chinese traveler Hwen T'sang, who visited India in the first half of the 7th century AD, also took the mango back to his home. The Chinese were delighted and began cultivating this magnificent evergreen tree. By the 7th century AD, Persian traders had taken mangoes to the Middle East where the caliphs of Baghdad enjoyed their mangoes in the form of a complex brew that that required six months to a year to fully ferment. The traveling mango then hitched a camel ride from Persia and caravanned to the Eastern parts of the African continent in about the 10th century AD. With the arrival of the Portuguese in India in the 15th century, it was later spread to South America, the Philippines and to West Africa. In Europe, mangoes were first recorded by Friar Jordanus in 1328, but Europeans didn't fall in love with them as did countries with tropical climates. Although mangoes are the world's third largest food crop today, they still remain somewhat obscure in Europe. Hawaii, Florida, and Mexico were next on the nineteenth century travel plans for this tropical wonder. Though Florida was growing mangoes on the East Coast in 1825, it wasn't until 1889 that a special grafted variety from India called Mulgoa or Mulgoba was introduced to produce the new Haden variety of mangoes. Even Australia is a cultivator of mangoes now. Given the long history of mango cultivation and consumption in the region, it is not at all surprising that mangoes find a special place in the religious and social themes of South Asia's diverse communities, whether Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim or Christian. Their use is particularly widespread in Hindu rituals of divine blessing, called pujas. A 'purnakumbha' or clay pot filled with water is topped with fresh mango leaves and a coconut. The pot signifies mother earth, water is the life-giver, mango leaves denote vibrant life, and the coconut represents divine consciousness. The whole object symbolises Lakshmi the goddess of fortune. Mango is also a rich part of Buddhist folklore. It features in the Jataka tales and frequently appears in Buddhist art. The Great Miracle of Sravasti, which is today on the border between India and Nepal, took place when Buddha converted people by miraculously reproducing himself in various forms in front of a mango tree. Buddha also caused a mango tree to sprout instantly from a seed to convince non-believers. A mango grove was said to be his favourite place to rest and meditate and he was presented with one by the courtesan Amrapali, who became a disciple. Ancient Indian paradises, like later Islamic ones, reflected ideal gardens. These were full of fruit trees, sweet-scented flowers and water. They would have mango groves to provide shade and fruit. The creation of orchards was a passion of the Muslim conquerors who came from the Persian and Afghanistan region. This was the one element of life in Central Asia that they truly missed, and they lavished time and attention on recreating this earthly paradise. The mango tree became a favoured plant, its shade defying the violence of summer heat. In fact, it is the Mughals who are credited with having developed of a special technique that employs grafting for the propagation of mangoes vegetatively. A process which is all the more important given that mangoes do not grow true from seed but tend to revert back to the highly fibrous wild version of the fruit that tastes like turpentine. As the mango travelled to various parts of the world, new cultivars of the genus Mangifera Indica evolved and were developed. Of course the natal countries too have a rich abundance of variety to boast. There are over 1,000 known mango cultivars in the world today. The following table, though not exhaustive, can give us some idea of the illustrious career of this fruit. (Arranged Alphabetically)
The mango has found itself a home in most parts of the world which offer it tropical and sub-tropical climatic conditions. There are over 20 million metric tons of mangos grown throughout the tropical and sub-tropical world. Interestingly enough, the leading mango producer – India – with an annual production of 10.8 million tonnes which accounts for more than half of the total world production, exports very little as most of the production is consumed within the country. In terms of production, China occupies the second position in the world tally, with Thailand and Indonesia competing for third place. Mexico, Philippines, Pakistan and Nigeria follow at a distance. The top mango exporters in the world, according to the Foreign Agricultural Organization, (as reported in 1997) are Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Haiti, Guatemala, Venezuela, Peru, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. In terms of cultivars, currently, the world market is dominated by the cultivar 'Tommy Atkins', a seedling of 'Haden' which first fruited in 1940 in Southern Florida, USA. It has been estimated that 80% of mangos in UK supermarkets are 'Tommy Atkins'. Despite its fibrous flesh and fair taste, growers world-wide have embraced the cultivar for its exceptional production and disease resistance, the shelf-life of its fruit, their transportability as well as their size and beautiful color. Of the Indian cultivars, it is the Alphonso which continues to be regular export. Actually it is believed that the Langda, Dassehri and Himsagar cultivars of India are far better tasting mangoes than the Alphonso, however, they are not suitable for export because of their perishable nature, and that is the primary reason why the Alphonso is more common outside India.  Mangoes are eaten in various different ways, and find uses in medicinal preparations as well. Ripe mangoes are extremely popular throughout Latin America. In Mexico, sliced mango is eaten with chili powder and/or salt. Street vendors sometimes sell whole mangoes on a stick, dipped in the chili-salt mixture. In Indonesia, green mango is sold by street vendors with sugar and salt and/or chili. Green mango may be used in the sour salad called rujak in Indonesia, and rojak in Malaysia and Singapore. In the Philippines, unripe mango is eaten with bagoong. Dried strips of sweet, ripe mangoes have also gained popularity both inside and outside the country, with those produced in Cebu making it to export markets around the world. In other parts of South-east Asia, mangos are very popular pickled with fish sauce and rice vinegar. In Guatemala, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Honduras, small, green mangoes are popular; they have a sharp, brisk flavour like a Granny Smith apple. Vendors sell slices of peeled green mango on the streets of these countries, often served with salt. Pickles, chutneys and tangy mango drinks are very popular in India. Unani physicians hold mangos in very high esteem because of their many medicinal virtues. They are used for strengthening the nervous and blood systems, ridding the body of toxins and treating anaemia. In Ayurveda, dried mango flowers are used to cure dysentery, diarrhoea and inflammation of the urinary tract. In South Asian folk medicine, rheumatism and diphtheria is treated using the astringent bark of the mango tree. Cracked skin on the soles of feet and scabies is cured by applying the gum which oozes from the trunk of the tree. The powdered seeds are used to stem bleeding. Fruits are eaten as a kidney tonic and to cure headaches. The leaf, bark, stem and green unripe and half ripe fruits are thought to inhibit the growth of bacteria, particularly Escherichia coli. Ripe mangos are said to contain anti-fungal properties and young leaves are thought to prevent sickness. Many of these uses are supported by scientific evidence. Even apart from its specific medical usages, from the perspective general nutrition too one medium mango, about 10 1/2 oz., is a mighty impressive, self-contained package of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants that only packs 135 calories. Clearly then there are very good reasons for mangoes to reign as the king of fruits, not least of which is the delectable juicy and tangy delight that it offers our tastebuds. The 19th century Delhi shayar (poet) Ghalib, argued to be one of the greatest mango enthusiasts and connoisseurs, once said in a discussion with his friends on the subject of mangoes, "In my opinion, there are only two necessary requirements concerning mangoes. Firstly, they should be sweet and secondly, they should be plentiful!" One could not agree more with him. So let’s rolls those sleeves back, and get ready to become mango maniacs!  |