A dozen amazing Mango facts to enliven your summer
Learning more about India’s National fruit that is a countrywide favourite
We shall remember the summer of 2020 for the lockdown stretching over six weeks from March to May. Life came to a standstill with the complete cessation of routine activities outside homes. Indians had to forego a lot of things, but Mangoes are probably among the most dearly missed item due to the lockdown.
Ironically, as farmers had ripening Mangoes in their orchards, they let the Mangoes rot as there were no workers to harvest the fruit. The restrictions on the movement of people meant that even the depleted produce of the season was not collected. As a result, Indians have had to make do with no Mangoes at all or the very few that somehow reached people confined to their homes. Each of us Indians has fond memories of Mangoes dating back to our infancy. As we reminisce about Mangoes rather than relish them this season, let us explore facts about the fantastic Mango fruit, which we fondly call the King of Fruits. The king may be missing right now, but let us find out about his glories.
India is the home to Mangoes, in a sense, the plant originated in this country. Mangoes likely originated in the jungles of northeast India bordering Myanmar. The scientific name Mangifera indica comes from the Tamil and Malayalam word for Mango, mangaa! The species name indica is to denote the plant is from India. In 2020, Mangoes have become a globally cultivated fruit and likely the most cultivated fruit.
Mango is the national fruit of India. It is also the national fruit of the Philippines and Pakistan such is its popularity in south-east Asia. Mango is the national tree of Bangladesh.
India is the largest grower of Mangoes in the world with nearly half the quantity produced worldwide being Indian. China is the second, and Thailand, the third-largest grower of Mangoes in the world. In south-east Asia, it is common to hormonally induce flowering in Mango, resulting in Mango availability round the year. However, the huge Mangoes of South East Asia which can weight even up to one kilogram have a different flavour profile that may not appeal to Indian taste buds.
Mango trees can grow for very long, and you can find trees that are even hundreds of years old. One Indian Mango tree has been bearing fruit for more than three hundred years.
One Mango inflorescence or a bunch of flowers can bear up to three thousand flowers. From that many flowers, only a few Mangoes emerge! Mango fruits start of the size of a pea and in the growing season grow to their full size based on the variety. The Rajapuri variety along the Indian west coast has fruits that can easily weigh one kilogram.
Every Indian state and region has its favourites with communities being fiercely protective of Mango varieties from their area. The Mangoes popular in a place have their peculiar features be it the size, shape, colour, pulpiness, juiciness, sweetness, sourness, skin colour and flesh colour. Names of Indian Mangoes are quite impressive. The Tota-puri resembles the beak of a Parakeet. The Langda variety originated in Varanasi and is so named as a lame (langda in Hindi) farmer discovered it.
Mangoes ripen by gaseous agent ethylene naturally. To ripen green Mangoes, you can place them in a pot of uncooked rice or straw or paper. Mangoes ripening in a bunch help each other as ripening Mangoes generate ethylene and heat that promotes further ripening. If you put your hand into a bunch of ripening Mangoes, you can feel the heat generated by the fruits.
Mangoes are available nearly year-round in India but more likely about nine months of the year. Mangoes start ripening at different times, and a rough indicator of their arrival is the location. In western India, the first Mangoes can be available as early as January, and the Mango crop in rest of the country starts arriving at the market till September. The Mangoes in the east arrive later from about June and are available till September. It is common for some communities to stop eating Mangoes after the start of monsoon. People stop eating Mangoes in monsoon because the fruits start rotting in rains and also because of an insect that typically comes out of ripe fruits during storms.
Wood from Mango trees was earlier considered inferior and fit only to make boxes to pack fruits, including Mangoes. Mango-wood was a derisive phrase till some years ago, but right now, with restrictions on cutting trees in forests, have made Mango a popular wood for furniture. Well-polished Mango-wood furniture is popular at boutique furniture shops.
Leaves of Mango trees are very auspicious in India and considered a symbol of prosperity. Be it the garland of leaves called toran during festive occasions or the leaves placed above water in metal pots (below coconuts), Mango leaves are important for religious and festive occasions.
Mango trees at orchards are from grafts or those propagated vegetative. Seeds of Mangoes can’t yield the crop similar to one from which the fruit came.
The Mango weevil, a type of beetle, is a particular pest of Mangoes. Female weevils lay eggs in tiny fruits when they are the size of peas. The weevil larvae crawl through to reach the stone and develop there. The adult weevils which can scare people emerge from the fruit when it ripens, many months later. The Mango Stem Borer is another challenging pest of Mango trees, and that too is a weevil. The larvae of this beetle pest feed on the stem of a Mango tree and can harm it and lead to its death. As larvae feed inside the tree, the damage is not apparent until it is too late.
Be hopeful.
We are still in the midst of the annual Mango season!
Once the lockdown ends, we should be able to get our hands on our favourite Mangoes!
I wish you a Mango-licious summer ahead.