Mango

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It is assumed that the mango is a native of the Southern slopes of the Himalaya and it is venerated as national fruit of India. It is cultivated in nearly all tropical and increasingly in subtropical regions and considered the second most important exotic fruit, after the banana. The largest producers are: India, Mexico, China, Pakistan, Thailand, Indonesia, Nigeria and Brazil. Current world production is approx. 250,000 tons per year.

Description:

Mangos are the fruits of a 10-30m high evergreen tree, that may reach an age of up to 100 years. Depending on variety and origin, the fruits differ considerably in respect to shape, colour and size. They may grow to the size of a plum, but also as big as a melon. The different varieties may be round to ovate to kidney shaped. In average, mangos weight approx. 300g, however some may reach a weight of 2kg. Their colouring reaches from green or greenish yellow to orange and red hues. Some varieties display several colours at once. Below the smooth, leathery and inedible skin, the very juicy, fibrous, tender and sweet pulp can be found, coloured bright yellow to orange. The mango is jokingly called the "bathtub fruit", because it is so juicy that you may be swept away when opening a ripe fruit. The incredible taste is unique and cannot really be compared to any other fruit. The full-bodied, juicy and highly aromatic sweetness gave the mango the predicate "Queen of Fruits". A relatively large, fibrous stone sits in the pulp, which is difficult to separate from the pulp. The mango contains 10-16% sugar, is rich in B vitamins, vitamin E and C (20-50mg%), but mainly provitamin A. It belongs to the fruits that rank highest highest in provitamin A content. These important substances make it an excellent food or infants and recuperating patients. The pulp is also considered as supportive in the digestive process.

Marketing :

Mangos for the export are harvested in unripe condition. They are usually treated in a hot water bath at 55° C for over 5 min, or covered with a thin wax layer, to ensure a longer shelf life. Due to the high number of grower countries (nearly 40), the mango is available year round. When buying a mango, smell and touch sensation are more important than the colour of the skin. A ready to eat fruit reacts on a slight finger pressure and exudes a pleasing odour. Unripe fruits will ripen at 20-25° C in a few days, possibly together with other ethylene-emitting fruits. When storing mangos care should be taken that the storage temperature of 10-14° C is maintained. A gray-brownish discolouration which shimmers through the skin is a clear sign of cold damage. Overall, mangos are not suitable for long storage. When in storage, mangos produce ethylene which accelerates the ripening process, and thus they should not be stored together with certain other fruit and vegetable varieties, e.g. cucumbers.

Use:

The mango should be eaten raw. For this, the fruit should be held on edge and, using a knife, two 'cheeks' of the fruit can be sliced off on either side of the stone. The pulp may now be removed from the skin with a spoon. Another and very decorative option is to carve the 'cheeks' in a grid pattern from the inside to near the skin and then to bend it outwards. The result is the "mango hedgehog" from which the pulp cubes can easily be taken off the skin with a fork. Then the skin is removed off the remaining middle part and the pulp is cut off or sucked off the stone. The mango can be used in numerous preparations: as a compote, marmalade, in creams and ice-cream, soups, cakes, gateaux, as purree, juice (when diluted with 50% it is an Indian national beverage), or as nectar. Mango chutney (an Indian/Chinese speciality): a mixture of mango, sultanas and sugar, seasoned with curry and other spice, fits perfectly to rice dishes. Hints:
1. Careful - mango stains are very difficult to remove from clothing.
2. People with sensitive stomachs should not have any milk or alcohol for 2 hours after consuming mangoes. .
3. The flower stem of the mango should not be damaged prior to consumption because the flesh will begin to rot very quickly from the inside.