Essay on Mango

The mind stands on the twelfth cloud after hearing its name. The tongue starts watering after hearing its name. Eyes get a special shine while getting the sight of it. Here, we are talking about a fruit; it is mango. It is one of the fruits which is loved by almost everyone and is awaited throughout the year. It is declared the National fruit of India. It is not only the national fruit of India but also in Pakistan and the Philippines. Despite this, the Mangifera Indica, i.e. the mango tree, is the National tree of Bangladesh.

The mango has a special connection with the Mauryan empire's history in Southeast Asia. Not only this, the Indo-Persian poet Amir Khusrow had labelled the mango as the best fruit of Hindustan. He said it as "Naghza Tarin Mewa Hindustan". Mango had also served the courts of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire. Not only in ancient or medieval history, but even today, mangoes are consumed and served to gods in Hinduism. Additionally, it is connected to the Jain and Buddhist cultures. Traditionally, the Jain goddess Ambika is represented as she is seated under a mango tree. Likewise, it is also said that Buddha had meditated and rested along with other monks in the Mango grooves. That's why Jains and Buddhists consider the mango tree sacred and holy.

The mango leaves are widely used to decorate the house during festivals or ceremonies, considering them holy. It is not only eaten or worshipped but its style or artwork is also used to create wear patterns for clothing. Various Indian textiles, such as the Kashmiri shawls, Silk sarees, and Kanchipuram sarees, bear Mango motifs. Also, it can be found in some of the embroidery styles.

Mango is a little bit of solid fruit, holding a large seed in the centre. Such fruits are also known as drupe fruit. This solid edible fruit is mostly produced in tropical regions. To make it simpler to understand, the cashews and pistachios, along with olives, cherries and dates, are also drupes. As they also bear a seed with fleshy fruit and thin skin. The mango tree is generally known as Mangifera Indica, scientifically. Fruits produced by species of the Mangifera genus are also known as mangoes. The word mango took birth in around 1500 and originated through the Malayalam word 'Maanga'.

Growing Season and Conditions for Mango

Generally, a Mango tree grows up to 30-40 metres tall. Its leafy area spreads over a radius of around 10-15 metres. The mango trees usually have a long shelf life; some even bloom after the age of 300. For many centuries, growing mango has been an important feature of Indian agriculture. It has been over 4000 years since the native Indian and Southeast Asian people cultivated and enjoyed this juicy fruit. The sapling is planted in an area where the soil is deep as the roots seep in deep and spread widely. The tree leaves are evergreen in nature and change their colour from orange-pink to glossy red into dark green as it transforms from young to mature. Before bearing fruit, the tree blossoms with a small white flower, with a pleasant smell. After flowering, it takes about five months to bear fruit. Although many of the species of fruit bear fruit in summer, some also bear fruit twice a year.

Mangoes are of various types, with their own typical tastes, shape, size, colour, way of cultivation and way of eating too. The difference in sizes, sweetness, skin colour, flesh cover and shape of the mango varies according to the cultivator. Indian cuisine has this fruit as a delight in itself. Harvesting of the Mango takes place in the month of March to May in India, while the sale of mango remains at its peak throughout the year. Earlier, they were found only at the end of the dry season. However, nowadays, it is seen in every season, with a range of tastes and shapes. Mango can be of various weights, from a couple of ounces to more than 5 pounds each.

Health Benefits of Mango

All fruits are a rich source of Vitamins, Minerals, and Antioxidants, and mango is nowhere lesser than them. Along with its yummy sweet taste, it has many health benefits as it is a rich source of Vitamin C (which is crucial in making blood vessels and Healthy collagen and helps heal) and Vitamin K (which prevents blood clots and strengthens bones). The impressive nutritional profile, along with its delicious mouthwatering taste, makes it good for health-conscious guys and others. The other health benefits are as follows:

1. Lowers Cancer risk: Being rich in beta-carotene, which is responsible for the colour of the fruit, mangos also consist of an antioxidant. Antioxidants of the Mangoes are seen as fighting the free radicals; the free radicals cause cancer-causing damage to the cells.
2. May help prevent diabetes: Eating natural sugars benefits those with high blood sugar levels. The mango is high in natural sugars and provides the diabetic or those limiting sugar intake a satisfying taste, but only if it is not dried.
3. Support heart health: Mangoes are found to be helping your cardiovascular system. They are rich in magnesium and potassium, so they keep blood pressure low and maintain the pulse. The study has also shown that mangiferin in the Mangoes reduces heart inflammation.
4. Contains nutrients that can boost immunity: Mango is rich in vitamins and is also a good source of vitamin C, generating white blood cells that fight diseases. Copper, Folate, Vitamin E, and many B Vitamins are also part of a Mango's nutrition content, which indirectly support the immunity system.
5. Looks after digestive health: Mangoes maintain the digestive system by providing amylase compounds and dietary fibre.
6. Help eye health: The components present in Mangoes provide antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which are present in the human retina. Thus, it enhances the ability of the retina to convert light into signals to pass on to the brain for interpretation. Also, Vitamin A is good for the eyes.
7. Nutrition: Like many other fruits, mango is low in calories and higher in nutrient content. Rich folate content is beneficial for healthy cell division and duplication of DNA. Besides, mango is a rich source of folate or magnesium and potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Potassium, Beta-carotene, Folate, Choline, Magnesium, etc.
8. Low in calories: It is helpful for those who are mindful on the weighing scale with the benefit of satisfying their tongue, as it is one of the fruit being low in calories. But, this benefit cannot be claimed when the mango is dry, and a dry mango is high in calories and sugars too.

Nutrient Content of 1 Mango Serving

One serving of mango provides approximately 70 calories, along with 1g of total fats with negligible or no saturated and Trans fat and more than 1g of protein. It has 0mg of Cholesterol, Sodium, and Potassium. It provides us with 17g of total carbohydrate, 1g of dietary Fiber, and 2g of Natural sugars. It has various nutrients in it. With 15% Vitamin C, and 40% Vitamin A, it is the most cherished fruit for the hot summers in India.

Different Ways to Eat Mangoes

It not only comes in a variety of sizes but also in the varied breed. They are found throughout the year, but most in the summers. It is much tasty with a hint of tart. However, it is said that the skin of mangoes should not be eaten, as we eat many other fruits. They seem to be bright yellowish and orange when ready to be eaten. But, some breeds are better for eating raw. Often, raw mango is eaten with rock salt. Generally, raw mangoes are used to bring sourness to the dal. Also, they are dried to make pickles or sour powder for use in cooking throughout the year. They also form a great combo with fishes. They are also used to make smoothies, juices, ice cream, chutneys, etc. Ripe mango can be good in smoothies. Moreover, they are cubed to add to cocktails, sliced and added to salsas, cubed and added to quinoa salads, juices, ice cream, added to summer salads, added as a flavouring to Greek yoghurt, prepared to taste in oatmeal, eaten in jams, slices and many other traditional sweets.

Different Types of Mangoes

As we know, mango varies in flavour and texture. Let us now see some different varieties of mangoes:

1. Rainbow: It has a tropical fragrance with a sweet taste. It bears a golden yellow outer covering.
2. Honey (Ataulfo): This has a sweet and sour taste with a peachy tropical aroma.
3. Francis: This juicy and sweet fruit has a tropical fragrance.
4. Haden: This type is sweet and salty both but possesses a bitter aftertaste.
5. Keitt: This has a fruity flavour with a citrus aroma.
6. Kent: It has a sour pinch of sweetness.
7. Tommy Atkins: This has tart with pinches of sweetness, along with a citrus fragrance.
8. Graham: This has a sweet taste with an orange aroma-filled colour.
9. Irwin: With red skin, this variety has a sweet taste.
10. Palmer: It is sweet and juicy with a smooth orange-yellow cover.
11. Valencia Pride: It is a yellow fruit which is sweet and juicy too.
12. Kensington Pride: It is sweet on yellowish-green skin.
13. Glenn: It is a sweet and juicy fruit with a thinner orange-tinted covering.
14. Sein Ta Lone: It is a sweet fruit with a juicy aroma.
15. Alphonso: This sugary sweet mango is buttery and is the most famous of all the types.
16. Kesar: This type is sweet, smooth, and soft.
17. Dasheri: This mango type is sweet and aromatic.
18. Chausa: This variant is sweet with luscious pulp.
19. Bombay Green: This mango is sweet with hard pulp.
20. Langra: This mango is sweet with juicy fiberless pulp.
21. Amrapali: This type is sweet with a deep orange-red cover.
22. Neelam: This type is sweet and juicy.
23. Banganpalli/Safeda: This has a mixture of sweet and sour tastes.
24. Chok Anan: This fruit is sweet with a hard covering.
25. Badam Mango: This fruit is sweet, juicy, and has a rugged yellow outer region.
26. Totapuri: This has a diverse sweet and sour taste with a hard outer.
27. Sindhri: This mango is very sweet and is deep yellow in colour.
28. Raspuri: This mango has a pinch of pleasant tart and is sweet in taste.
29. Anwar Ratol: This mango is pleasantly sweet and has a smooth pulp.
30. Himsagar: This fruit is sweet, with a creamy pulp.
31. Malgoba: This fruit is very juicy, fragrant and bears a tiny seed.
32. Pairi / Paheri: This type is sweet, sour and incredibly juicy, with a bright yellow outer cover.
33. Lakshmanbhog: Like others, this mango is sweet and juicy, with yellow-orange skin.
34. Fazli: This is sweet and juicy in taste with a pleasant fragrance.
35. Imam Pasand: This fruit has a very different after-taste and an incredibly sweet and juicy flavour.
36. Mallika: This mango is exceptionally sweet and of high quality.
37. Mankurad: This fruit is sweet and juicy with a strong taste.
38. Vanraj: This mango is very sweet and juicy, along with a sour taste.
39. Gulab Khaas: This fruit is sweet and has red or pink skin.
40. Kilichundan: This fruit is sweet with a fragrance and a greenish-yellow colour.
41. Rumani: This fruit is very sweet and juicy with smooth flesh.
42. Nam Dok Mai: This variant is sweet. Also, it has a thick and fleshy outer covering.
43. Khieo Sawoei Sampran: This mango is very crunchy and sweet while being rigid in nature.
44. Tong Dam: This fruit is very sweet in nature and soft.
45. Mamuang Ok Rong: This mango is extremely sweet and hard.
46. Ivory: This mango is sweet and bright yellow in colour.
47. Miyazaki: This is the world's costliest mango, with its sweet and creamy taste, and it is fierce red in colour.
48. Carabao: This mango is very sweet, juicy and aromatic. It is rich yellow in colour.
49. Pico/Piko or Padero: This mango is sweet and creamy.
50. Pahutan/Pajo: This mango type is sweet with yellow colour covering.
51. Katchamita: This mango is sweet and sour with a firm green cover.
52. Number Eleven: This mango is sweet with a pleasant aroma and is firm in nature.
53. Black/Blackie: This is very much sweet and has an edible cover.
54. Julie: This tastes sweet and juicy and is deep orange in colour.
55. East Indian: This mango variant is sharply sweet and juicy in taste.

Facts about Mango

1. It is known to very few people that the heaviest mango in the world was cultivated in the Philippines in 2009, and it weighed about 3.435kg. It had a length of 30.48cm, a width of 17.78cm and a circumference of 49.53cm.
2. It is fascinating that the US learned about the mango in the early 20^th
3. The oldest fruit-producing mango tree is said to be 300 years old and is known to be located in the East Khandesh of Central India.
4. The United Kingdom takes mangoes for its supermarkets from around the world, depending on the season. It buys it from Peru in the early part of the year and then from western Africa. Similarly, till the end of the year, it buys mangoes from Israel, Egypt, Brazil, etc.

Conclusion

Mango is not just a fruit; it is the king of fruits. It has wide varieties and is mostly grown during the summer. Due to its sweet taste, it is also widely consumed in the form of juice.