Nature Diary

Mango Summer

The mango is the national fruit of India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. The mango tree is the national tree of Bangladesh. As you might have guessed, mangoes grow in all these countries, and indeed, have been cultivated in India for thousands of years. From here it reached Asia by the 5th century BC.
By the 10th century AD, cultivation had begun in East Africa. The 14th century Moroccan traveler, Ibn Battuta, reported it at Mogadishu. Cultivation came later to Brazil, the West Indies and Mexico, where an appropriate climate allows its growth, as also Spain (one of the warmer countries in Europe). So now you can enjoy mangoes all over the world!
Today India produces more than 13 million tons of mango, more than one-third of the world mango production.
Summer is the season for mangoes, when it is hot and humid. Summer
vacations are looked forward to as much for the holidays as for the chance to eat luscious, juicy mangoes.
Alphonso, Banganapalli and Kesar mango varieties are considered among the best mangoes in India's southern states, while Dussehri and Langda varieties are most popular in the northern states.
Mangoes are rich in many nutrients. It is composed of 17% carbohydrate, with traces of fat and protein, and some dietary fibre. But it is also rich in Vitamin A, beta-carotene, Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9 and Vitamin C. In fact, half your daily does of Vitamin C can come from just eating 100 gm of raw mango. It also contains important minerals such as Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Zinc.
Mango peel contains pigments that may have antioxidant properties, including carotenoids, such as the provitamin A compound, beta-carotene, etc.  Up to 25 different carotenoids have been isolated from mango pulp, the densest of which was beta-carotene, which accounts for the yellow-orange pigmentation of most mango species.