Ripe Banganpalli mangoes from Guntur, India
Mango is a fruit indigenous to the
Indian subcontinent,
[1] that belongs to the genus
Mangifera, consisting of numerous species of tropical fruiting
trees in the
flowering plant family
Anacardiaceae, of which
Mangifera indica, or the
common mango, is commonly cultivated and used for food. The mango is cultivated in many tropical and
subtropical regions and distributed widely in the world, mango is one of the most extensively exploited fruits for food,
juice,
flavor,
fragrance and
color.
In several cultures, its fruit and leaves are ritually used as floral decorations at
weddings, public celebrations and religious ceremonies.
The English word
mango originated from the
Malayalam word "
māṅṅa" (
Malayalam:
മാങ്ങ), through the
Portuguese word
manga.
[2] The word's first recorded attestation in a European language was a text by
Ludovico di Varthema in Italian in 1510, as
Manga; the first recorded occurrences in languages such as French and post-classical Latin appear to be translations from this Italian text.
[3]
Description
Mango inflorescence and immature fruit
The seed of mango can be hairy or fibrous
Mango trees (
Mangifera indica L.) grow 35–40 m (115–130 ft) tall, with a crown radius of 10 m (33 ft). The mango tree is long-lived; some specimens still fruit after 300 years. In deep soil the
taproot descends to a depth of 6 m (20 ft) and the profuse, wide-spreading feeder roots also send down many anchor roots, which penetrate several feet of soil. The
leaves are
evergreen, alternate, simple, 15–35 cm (5.9–14 in) long and 6–16 cm (2.4–6.3 in) broad; when the leaves are young they are orange-pink, rapidly changing to a dark glossy red, then dark green as they mature. The
flowers are produced in terminal
panicles 10–40 cm (3.9–16 in) long; each flower is small and white with five petals 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) long, with a mild sweet odor suggestive of
lily of the valley. The fruit takes three to six months to ripen.
The ripe fruit is variable in size and color.
Cultivars are variously yellow, orange, red or green and carry a single flat, oblong pit that can be
fibrous or hairy on the surface. Ripe, unpeeled fruit gives off a distinctive
resinous, sweet smell. Inside the pit 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) thick is a thin lining covering a single
seed, 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) long, 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 in) and 1 cm (0.4 in). The seed contains the plant embryo.
The "hedgehog" style is a common way of eating mangoes (left). A cross section of a mango can be seen on the right
[edit] Cultivation and uses
Unripe mangoes on a mango tree
Mangoes have been cultivated in the
Indian subcontinent for thousands of years
[4] and reached
East Asia between the 5th-4th century BC. By the 10th century AD, cultivation had begun in
East Africa[4], coming later to
Brazil,
West Indies and
Mexico, where an appropriate climate allows its growth.
[4] The 14th century
Moroccan traveler,
Ibn Battuta, reported it at
Mogadishu.
[5]
Mango is now cultivated in most
frost-free tropical and warmer subtropical climates; nearly half of the world's mangoes are cultivated in India alone.
[6][7][8] Mango is also being grown in Andalusia, Spain (mainly in Malaga province), which is one of the few places in mainland Europe that allow growth of tropical plants and fruit trees.
[9] Many of the 1,000+ mango cultivars are easily
cultivated using grafted saplings, ranging from the "turpentine mango" (named for its strong taste of
turpentine, which according to the
Oxford Companion to Food some varieties actually contain) to the
huevos de toro ("eggs of the bull", a euphemism for "
bull's
testicles", referring to the shape and size).
Other cultivators include
North,
South and
Central America, the
Caribbean, south, west and central
Africa,
Australia,
China,
Pakistan,
Bangladesh, and
Southeast Asia. Though India is the largest producer of mangoes, it accounts for less than one percent of the international mango trade, consuming most of its own output.
[10]
Dwarf or semi-dwarf varieties serve as
ornamental plants and can be grown in containers.
A wide variety of diseases can afflict mangoes; see
List of mango diseases.
Food
Mango is generally sweet, although the taste and texture of the flesh varies across cultivars, some having a soft, pulpy texture similar to an over-ripe
plum, while others flesh is firmer, like a
cantaloupe or
avocado. Some cultivars' flesh has a fibrous texture. Mango is consumed both as ripe fruit and as an unripe fruit (vegetable)
[citation needed]. In unripe, pickled or cooked forms, the mango skin is consumed comfortably, whereas in ripe fruits, the skin is thicker and bitter and is usually not eaten. The ripe mango is commonly eaten fresh.
Cuisine
Photo of commercially packaged mango powder sold in clear plastic wrapping
Mangoes are widely used in cuisine. Sour, unripe mangoes are used in
chutneys,
pickles, side dishes, or may be eaten raw with
salt,
chili, or
soy sauce. A cooling summer drink called
panna or
panha comes from mangoes.
Ripe mangoes are typically eaten fresh, however, they can have many other culinary uses. Mango Lassi, a popular drink made throughout South Asia, is created by mixing ripe mangoes or mango pulp with yogurt and sugar. Ripe mangoes are also used to make curries.
Aamras is a popular pulp/thick juice made of mangoes with sugar or milk and is consumed along with bread.
Mangoes are used in preserves like
moramba, amchur (dried and powdered unripe mango) and pickles, including a spicy mustard-oil pickle. Ripe mangoes are often cut into thin layers,
desiccated, folded, and then cut. These bars are similar to dried
guava fruit bars available in some countries. The fruit is also added to cereal products like
muesli and oat
granola.
Native green mangoes from the Philippines
Unripe mango may be eaten with
bagoong. Dried strips of sweet, ripe mango (sometimes combined with seedless
tamarind to form
Mangorind) are also popular. Mangoes may be used to make juices, mango
nectar, and as a flavoring and major ingredient in ice cream and
sorbetes.
Mango is used to make
juices,
smoothies,
ice cream, fruit bars,
raspados,
aguas frescas,
pies and sweet
chili sauce, or mixed with
chamoy, a sweet and spicy chili paste. It is popular on a stick dipped in hot chili powder and salt or also as a main ingredient in fresh fruit combinations. In
Central America, mango is either eaten green with salt, pepper and hot sauce, or ripe in various forms. Toasted and ground
pumpkin seed (called
pepita) with lime and salt are the norm when eating green mangoes. Some people also add soy sauce or chili sauce.
Pieces of mango can be mashed and used as a topping on
ice cream or blended with milk and ice as milkshakes. Sweet glutinous rice is flavored with coconut then served with sliced mango as a dessert. In other parts of
South-east Asia, mangoes are pickled with
fish sauce and
rice vinegar. Green mangoes can be used in mango salad with fish sauce and
dried shrimps. Mango may be used as a topping to shaved ice along with condensed milk.
Nutrients and phytochemicals
Mango is rich in a variety of
phytochemicals[11] and
nutrients. The fruit pulp is high in
prebiotic dietary fiber,
vitamin C,
polyphenols and
provitamin A carotenoids.
[12]
Mango contains essential
vitamins and
dietary minerals. The
antioxidant vitamins
A,
C and
E comprise 25%, 76% and 9% of the
Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) in a 165 grams (5.8 oz) serving.
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine, 11% DRI),
vitamin K (9% DRI), other
B vitamins and
essential nutrients such as
potassium,
copper and 17
amino acids are at good levels. Mango
peel and pulp contain other
phytonutrients, such as the
pigment antioxidants - carotenoids and polyphenols - and
omega-3 and -6
polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Mango peel contains pigments that may have
antioxidant properties,
[11][13] including carotenoids, such as the
provitamin A compound,
beta-carotene,
lutein and
alpha-carotene,
[14] polyphenols
[15][16] such as
quercetin,
kaempferol,
gallic acid,
caffeic acid,
catechins,
tannins, and the unique mango
xanthone,
mangiferin,
[17] any of which may counteract
free radicals in various disease processes as revealed in preliminary research.
[18][19] Phytochemical and nutrient content appears to vary across mango species.
[20] Up to 25 different carotenoids have been isolated from mango pulp, the densest of which was
beta-carotene, which accounts for the yellow-orange
pigmentation of most mango species.
[21] Peel and leaves also have significant polyphenol content, including
xanthones, mangiferin and
gallic acid.
[22]
The mango
triterpene, lupeol
[23] is an effective inhibitor in laboratory models of
prostate and
skin cancers.
[24][25][26] An extract of mango branch bark called
Vimang, isolated by
Cuban scientists, contains numerous
polyphenols with antioxidant properties
in vitro[27] and on
blood parameters of elderly humans.
[28]
The pigment
euxanthin, known as
Indian yellow, is often thought to be produced from the
urine of cows fed mango leaves; the practice is described as having been outlawed in 1908 due to malnutrition of the cows and possible
urushiol poisoning.
[29] This supposed origin of euxanthin appears to rely on a single, anecdotal source and Indian legal records do not outlaw such a practice.
[30]
Potential for contact dermatitis
Mango peel contains
urushiol, the chemical in
poison ivy and
poison sumac that can cause
urushiol-induced contact dermatitis in susceptible people.
[31] Cross-reactions between mango contact allergens and urushiol have been observed.
[32] Those with a history of
poison ivy or
poison oak may be most at risk for such an allergic reaction.
[33] Urushiol is also present in mango leaves and vines. During mango's primary season, it is the most common source of plant dermatitis in Hawaii.
[34]
Cultural significance
The mango is the
national fruit of
India,
Pakistan,
Bangladesh, and the
Philippines.
[citation needed]
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 goddess
Saraswati.
Mango leaves are used to decorate archways and doors in Indian houses and during weddings and celebrations like
Ganesh Chaturthi. Mango
motifs and
paisleys are widely used in different Indian embroidery styles and are found in
Kashmiri shawls,
Kanchipuram silk sarees, etc. Paisleys are also common to Iranian art, because of its pre-Islamic Zoroastrian past.
Production and consumption
Street vendor selling mangoes in Venezuela
Mangoes account for approximately half of all tropical fruits produced worldwide. The
Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations estimates worldwide production at more than 33,000,000 tonnes (32,000,000 LT; 36,000,000 ST) in 2007 (table below). The aggregate production of the top 10 countries is responsible for roughly 80% of production.
Alphonso,
Beresha or
Berisha (
Banganapalli in
Telugu and
Tamil) and
Kesar mango varieties are considered among the best mangoes in India's Southern states while
Dussehri and
Langda varieties are most popular in the Northern states.
Generally, ripe mangoes have an orange-yellow or reddish peel and are juicy for eating, while exported fruit are often picked while under-ripe with green peels. Although producing
ethylene while ripening, unripened exported mangoes do not have the same juiciness or flavor as fresh fruit.
Like other
drupaceous fruits, mangoes come in both
freestone and
clingstone varieties.
Top producers of mangoes, mangosteens, guavas, 2007
| Country | Production in Tons |
 India | 13,501,000 |
 People's Republic of China | 3,752,000 |
 Mexico | 2,050,000 |
 Thailand | 1,800,000 |
 Pakistan | 1,719,180 |
 Indonesia | 1,620,000 |
 Brazil | 1,546,000 |
| World total | 33,445,279 |
Source
- Food And Agricultural Organization of United Nations: Economic And Social Department: The Statistical Division
|
Cultivars
Many hundreds of named mango
cultivars exist. In mango
orchards, several cultivars are often crossed to improve pollination. Many desired cultivars are
mono-embryonic and must be propagated by
grafting or they do not breed true. A common (mono-embryonic) cultivar is
Alphonso, an important export product.
Cultivars that excel in one climate may fail elsewhere. For example, Indian cultivars such as Julie, a prolific cultivar in
Jamaica, require annual
fungicide treatment to escape a lethal
fungal disease known as
Anthracnose in
Florida. Asian mangoes are resistant to Anthracnose.
The current world market is dominated by the cultivar
Tommy Atkins, a seedling of
Haden that first fruited in 1940 in southern Florida, USA. It was initially rejected commercially by Florida researchers
[37]. For example, 80% of mangoes in
UK supermarkets are Tommy Atkins. Despite its fibrous flesh and fair taste, growers worldwide have embraced the cultivar for its exceptional productivity and disease resistance,
shelf-life, transportability and size and appealing color. Tommy Atkins is predominant in the USA as well, although other cultivars, such
Kent,
Keitt, the
Haitian-grown
Madame Francis and the Mexican grown
Champagne are widely available.
In urban areas of southern Florida, small gardens, or lack thereof, have fueled the desire for
dwarf mango trees. The
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden has promoted "condo mangoes," which produce at a height below 2–2.5 m (6.6–8.2 ft)
[citation needed]
There is an Australian variety of mango known as
R2E2, a name based on the original plant's orchard row location. This variety produces large (up to 1 kilograms (2 lb))yellow-red fruit that attracts a premium price in the Australian market.
| | Mature Mangifera Indica after annual flowering - Note the budding fruits and residual flowers.
| Immature fruit of Mangifera approximately six weeks after annual flowering.
|
Flowers of Mangifera Indica
| | Freshly harvested mangoes and bananas at a fruit stand on the island of Maui, Hawaii.
| |
