About Mangoes
Mangoes are delicious fruit loaded with healthy vitamins and nutrients as well as fiber. Grown in subtropical and tropical settings around the world, ripe mangoes have a sweet taste and fruity aroma. They often serve as a primary ingredient in chutney, ice cream, juices, pies and smoothies. A distant relative of cashews and pistachio, mangoes also are a popular marinade. Leaves from mango trees are used as floral decorations at weddings and in religious ceremonies.
Significance
Throughout the world, more fresh mangoes are eaten than any other fruit, which may help explain why the mango has been dubbed the "king of fruit." Other nicknames for mangoes include "the fruit of the gods" and "the peach of the tropics." The typical person in the United States eats 2.2 pounds of mangoes per year--a consumption figure that has increased 400 percent since 1990.
Geography
Mangoes have been in grown in the Indian subcontinent for thousands of years. They reached East Asia a few hundred years before the birth of Christ. Mangoes were transported to East Africa in the 10th century and were later introduced in Brazil, Mexico and the West Indies. Today, about half of the world's mangoes are raised in India, where the fruit is seen as a symbol for love. Mangoes also are now grown in California, Florida and Mexico, throughout the Caribbean and in Central and South America, as well as Africa, Australia, China and Southeast Asia.
Features
Mangoes may be kidney-shaped, oval or round. They come in a colors ranging from gold to orange to red. Mangoes can weigh from 4 oz. up to 5 pounds. When purchased in grocery stores, a mango costs from as little as 50 cents to as much as $3.
Types
Hundreds of different varieties of mangoes are found throughout the world. The most popular varieties include Tommy Atkins, Kent, Keitt and Haden.
Time Frame
Growing on trees that can reach a height of 60 feet, mangoes mature about four to five months after flowering. When stored properly at a temperature of 55 degrees, a mango has a shelf life of approximately one to two weeks.
Benefits
Mangoes are an ideal source of vitamins A and C as well as potassium. The average mango also contains up to 40 percent of the fiber that a person needs each day. Mangoes also contain a stomach-smoothing enzyme. Best of all, they taste great.
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