Taste of Mango

Mangoes are juicy stone fruit (drupe) from numerous species of tropical trees belonging
to the flowering plant genus Mangifera, cultivated mostly for their edible fruit.
The majority of these species are found in nature as wild mangoes. The genus belongs to
the cashew family Anacardiaceae. Mangoes are native to South Asia,[1][2] from where the
"common mango" or "Indian mango", Mangifera indica, has been distributed worldwide
to become one of the most widely cultivated fruits in the tropics. Other Mangifera species
(e.g. horse mango, Mangifera foetida) are grown on a more localized basis.
It is the national fruit of India and Pakistan, and the national tree of Bangladesh.[3] It is
the unofficial national fruit of the Philippines.[4]
Contents
 1 Etymology and history
 2 Description
 3 Cultivation
o 3.1 Cultivars
 4 Production
 5 Food
o 5.1 Cuisine
o 5.2 Food constituents
o 5.3 Flavor
 6 Potential for contact dermatitis
 7 Cultural significance
 8 Gallery
 9 See also
 10 References
 11 Further reading
 12 External links
Etymology and history

The English word "mango" (plural "mangoes" or "mangos") originated from the
Malayalam word māṅṅa (or mangga) via Dravidian mankay and Portuguese manga
during the spice trade period with South India in the 15th and 16th centuries.[5][6][7]
Mango is mentioned by Hendrik van Rheede, the Dutch commander of the Malabar
region in his 1678 book, Hortus Malabaricus, about plants having economic value.[8]
When mangoes were first imported to the American colonies in the 17th century, they
had to be pickled because of lack of refrigeration. Other fruits were also pickled and
came to be called "mangoes", especially bell peppers, and in the 18th century, the word
"mango" became a verb meaning "to pickle".[9]
Description
The Carabao mango, the national fruit of the Philippines. Like other tropical Southeast
Asian-type mangoes, it is characteristically polyembryonic and bright yellow when ripe,
unlike the subtropical Indian-type mangoes which are monoembryonic and reddish when
ripe.[10]
Mango trees grow to 35–40 m (115–131 ft) tall, with a crown radius of 10 m (33 ft). The
trees are long-lived, as some specimens still fruit after 300 years.[11] In deep soil, the
taproot descends to a depth of 6 m (20 ft), with profuse, wide-spreading feeder roots and
anchor roots penetrating deeply into the soil.[1] The leaves are evergreen, alternate,
simple, 15–35 cm (5.9–13.8 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.[1] The flowers are produced in terminal panicles 10–40 cm (3.9–15.7 in)
long; each flower is small and white with five petals 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) long, with a
mild, sweet fragrance.[1] Over 500 varieties of mangoes are known,[1] many of which
ripen in summer, while some give a double crop.[12] The fruit takes four to five months
from flowering to ripen.[1]
The ripe fruit varies in size, shape, color, sweetness, and eating quality.[1] Cultivars are
variously yellow, orange, red, or green, and carry a single flat, oblong pit that can be
fibrous or hairy on the surface, and which does not separate easily from the pulp.[1] The
fruits may be somewhat round, oval, or kidney-shaped, ranging from 5–25 centimetres
(2–10 in) in length and from 140 grams (5 oz) to 2 kilograms (5 lb) in weight per
individual fruit.[1] The skin is leather-like, waxy, smooth, and fragrant, with color ranging
from green to yellow, yellow-orange, yellow-red, or blushed with various shades of red,
purple, pink or yellow when fully ripe.[1]
Ripe intact mangoes give off a distinctive resinous, sweet smell.[1] Inside the pit 1–2 mm
(0.039–0.079 in) thick is a thin lining covering a single seed, 4–7 cm (1.6–2.8 in) long.
Mangoes have recalcitrant seeds which do not survive freezing and drying.[13] Mango
trees grow readily from seeds, with germination success highest when seeds are obtained
from mature fruits.[1]

A mango tree in full bloom in Kerala
Mango flower blossom

Taste of Mango

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Mangoes are juicy stone fruit (drupe) from numerous species of tropical trees belonging

Etymology and history

Mango flower blossom

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