Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Photo: Bhagya Prakash k.

RICH SOURCE Mangoes contain many vitamins and minerals

The mango is native to southern Asia, especially Burma and eastern India. Two varieties of mango exists one from India and the other from the Philippines and South-East Asia. The Indian variety is intolerant of humidity, has flushes of bright red new growth that are subject to mildew and bears mono-embryonic fruit of high colour and regular form.

The Philippine variety tolerates excess moisture, has pale green or red new growth and resists mildew. The fruits are two to nine inches long and may be kidney shaped, ovate or (rarely) round.

They range in size from eight ounces to around 24 ounces. The flavour of the mango is described as a delicate blend of peach, pineapple, and apricot flavours, the perfect mixture of sweet and sour. The flesh of the ripe mango has a buttery texture surrounding a large, flat, inedible seed in the centre.

Health benefits

The mango is the apple (or peach) of the tropics, and one of the most commonly eaten fruits in tropical countries.

The U.S. Natural Health Research claims that a mango contains one to three times the recommended daily intake of Vitamin C and beta-carotene. Mangoes also contain all four recognised anti- oxidants (namely vitamins A, C and E and selenium) that aid in the prevention of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Additionally, mangoes contain a water-soluble fibre which helps prevent cancer of the digestive tract with B-Complex vitamins and the all-important minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, folic acid and selenium.

Mangoes are juicy; the sweet taste and high water content make them refreshing to eat, though somewhat messy.

Mangoes are widely used in chutney, which in the West is often very sweet, but in the Indian subcontinent it is usually made with sour, raw mangoes and chillies or lime. In India, ripe mango is often cut into thin layers, desiccated, folded, and then cut and sold as bars that are chewy.

In many parts of India, people have mango juice (called ras), the thickness of which depends on the type of mango. Many people like to eat unripe mangoes with salt and chilli powder.

The fruit is also widely used as a key ingredient in a variety of cereal products, in particular muesli and oat granola.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail