Any Indian would definitely have relished the "king of fruit" i.e. mangoes. Needless to say, this is just the right season. Heres' attaching for you a collation of various facts about the same. Hope you enjoy it!
· The mango is known as the 'king of fruit' throughout the
world.
· More fresh mangos are eaten every day than any other fruit
in the world
· The name 'mango' is derived from the Tamil word 'mangkay'
or 'man-gay'. When the Portuguese traders settled in Western India
they adopted the name as 'manga'.
· Mangos originated in East India, Burma and the Andaman
Islands bordering the Bay of Bengal. Around the 5th century B.C.,
Buddhist monks are believed to have introduced the mango to Malaysia
and eastern Asia - legend has it that Buddha found tranquility and
repose in a mango grove. Persian traders took the mango into the
middle east and Africa, from there the Portuguese brought it to
Brazil and the West Indies. Mango cultivars arrived in Florida in the
1830's and in California in the 1880's.
· The Mango tree plays a sacred role in India; it is a symbol
of love and some believe that the Mango tree can grant wishes.
· According to Indian folklore, Buddha was given a mango
orchard by a faithful follower so that he could rest in its cool
shade.
· In the Hindu culture hanging fresh mango leaves outside the
front door during Ponggol (Hindu New Year) and Deepavali is
considered a blessing to the house.
· Mango leaves are used at weddings to ensure the couple bear
plenty of children (though it is only the birth of the male child
that is celebrated - again by hanging mango leaves outside the
house).
· Hindus may also brush their teeth with mango twigs on holy
days (be sure to rinse well and spit if you try this at home -
toxic).
· Many Southeast Asian kings and nobles had their own mango
groves; with private cultivars being sources of great pride and
social standing, hence began the custom of sending gifts of the
choicest mangos.
· The Tahis like to munch mango buds, with Sanskrit poets
believing they lend sweetness to the voice.
· Burning of mango wood, leaves and debris is not advised -
toxic fumes can cause serious irritation to eyes and lungs.
· Mango leaves are considered toxic and can kill cattle or
other grazing livestock.
· In India, a certain shade of yellow dye was attained by
feeding cattle small amounts of mango leaves and harvesting their
urine. Of course as stated above, this is a contraindicated practice,
since mango leaves are toxic and cattle are sacred. It has since been
outlawed.
· Mangos are bursting with protective nutrients. The vitamin
content depends upon the variety and maturity of the fruit, when the
mango is green the amount of vitamin C is higher, as it ripens the
amount of beta carotene (vitamin A) increases.
· There are over 20 million metric tons of mangos grown
throughout the tropical and sub-tropical world. The leading mango
producer is India, with very little export as most are consumed
within the country. Mexico and China compete for second place,
followed by Pakistan and Indonesia. Thailand, Nigeria, Brazil,
Philippines and Haiti follow in order.
· According to the Foreign Agricultural Organization, the top
mango exporters reported in 1997 are as follows in order: Mexico,
Brazil, South Africa, Haiti, Guatemala, Venezuela, Peru, Nicaragua,
Dominican Republic.
· The fruit of the mango is called a Drupe - consisting of
the mesocarp (edible fleshy part) and endocarp (large woody,
flattened pit).
· The mango is a member of the Anachardiaceae family. Other
distant relatives include the cashew, pistachio, Jamaica plum, poison
ivy and poison oak.
· The over 1,000 known mango cultivars are derived from two
strains of mango seed - monoembryonic (single embryo) and
polyembryonic (multiple embryo). Monoembryonic hails from the Indian
(original) strain of mango,
polyembryonic from the Indochinese.
· Dermatitis can result from contact with the resinous latex
sap that drips from the stem end when mangos are harvested. The mango
fruit skin is not considered edible.
· Every part of the mango is beneficial and has been utilized
in folk remedies in some form or another. Whether the bark, leaves,
skin or pit; all have been concocted into various types of treatments
or preventatives down through the centuries. A partial list of the
many medicinal properties and purported uses attributed to the mango
tree are as follows: anti-viral, anti-parasitic, anti-septic,
anti-tussive (cough), anti-asthmatic, expectorant, cardiotonic,
contraceptive, aphrodisiac, hypotensive, laxative, stomachic
(beneficial to digestion)....
Mangiferin - rich in splenocytes, found in the stem bark of the mango
tree has purported potent immunomodulatory characteristics - believed
to inhibit tumor growth in early and late stages.
As I always say brickbats and bouquets welcome!
-Sukhi
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