Memories of the Mango

As the rainy season approached a very old man was digging holes in the ground.

What are you doing? asked the neighbor.

Planting the seeds of mango trees, the old man said.

Think you can eat the fruit? the neighbor uttered contemptuously.

No, I will not live long enough to be able to eat its fruits, but the others would. The other day I thought, all my life, I have enjoyed mangoes planted by others. This is my way of showing them my gratitude. The old man said with a heart of joy.

It is an Indonesian fairy tale that I read by chance that opens the post this week.

It's such a disarming beauty that resides in the simplicity of the phrase "The other day I thought, all my life, I have enjoyed mangoes planted by others." It is a love affair long before I knew what love was. Known for its sweet smell, and even sweeter taste, mangoes are a perfect fruit for a romantic interlude. And there have been few other fruits that have captivated the hearts, minds and tongues of the majority of the world’s population.

The mango, dates back to about 4000 BC that spread from India to Africa, where it made the jump in the tenth century and then to America, in the seventeenth century by the Portuguese, who took it to Brazil.

The fruits bear sin and temptation, from the Apples in the Western world to the Grapes in the Arab World to the Mango in the Indian Subcontinent. But these delicacies also evoke things that are not gastronomic. The apple symbolizes original sin and purity and is both known for its sensuality and innocence. Arabia cannot celebrate wine, woman and song without a few bunches of grapes and mango permeates the art, emotions and culture of India.

Folk songs celebrate all the phases of the life of a mango from the tree in bloom to the first fruits to the green mango to the ripe fruit, full of sweetness. You can make juice, marinate it, dry it, eat it as it is, with the juice that runs down your fingers, or very delicately, diced and covered with milk.

The Tamils ​​call it 'mangay', the Chinese call it 'mangguo', the people of Bengal call it 'aam', those of Karnataka call it 'mavu' and those of Kerala as 'amra'. Summer in Bengal represents the freedom and kites flying in the wind, the buckets of delicious mangoes, the swings on the mango trees and the festival of Jamai Sasthi, the day when the mother-in-law pampers their son-in-laws with loads of mangoes and is also a time that brings the married women back to their parents' house.

In India, it is said, there are only two seasons the rainy season, which quenches the land, and the mango season, which satisfies the palate and the heart of men, where a beautiful gesture of friendship is considered to give a mango basket to who you love. There must be as many types of mangoes in India as there are languages from the perfumed Alphonso to the green Dashehari to the parrot beaked Totapuri to the orange beauty Banaganapalli to the succulent Chausa to the golden skinned Langada, gleaming in their jewel red, yellow and dark green tones with their own distinct aromas.

In India, it is not only a fruit but a symbol of fertility and abundance, love and devotion and some believe that the mango tree can even grant wishes. The tree is believed to be the abode of Kama, the god of love, and the leaves and flowers of the mango are also considered sacred. A string of mango leaves are tied across doorways, as an auspicious symbol on religious occasions, and are included into many of the associated rituals.

The warm color of the flesh becomes the ideal color for elegant silk saris, and the theme of fruit and flower are the recurring motifs in textiles and jewelry, in particular during a wedding feast. Jewelers design intricate ornaments and earrings or necklaces with mango designs. This fruit is very much a part of our festivals and the songs we sing.

During this same time, while cutting some sliced mangoes, I think of how my life is marked by memories associated with their smell and their taste. It's nostalgic reminiscing the good old days when as kids I tried to sneak in and steal the fruit trying to bring them down by throwing stones and climbing on the trunks to shake.



It is a love affair long before we knew what love was. Mangoes are the most consumed fresh fruit in the world. Known for its sweet smell, and even sweeter taste, mangoes are a perfect fruit for a romantic interlude. It's nostalgic reminiscing the good old days when kids tried to sneak in and steal the fruit and couples would romance each other under the trees. The first thing which comes to everyone’s mind in this season is the mangoes, the king of fruits. Those ripe juicy mangoes in different shapes and sizes which make everyone’s mouth water.

The branches bend under the weight and the kids are trying to bring down the fruit throwing stones and climbing on the trunks to shake. It is the season of mango. As in a cycle of life that transcends the crisis, hardship, plans agricultural unfinished, come again mangoes, the filipinos long and sharp, and large and fleshy,. We are just at the time when the most humble courtyard of a remote village can have the same value of the garden more polished. Just the old mango tree planted by grandparents have the fruits because the whole family starts to rotate around her.

During this same time, while cutting some sliced mangoes, I think of how my life is marked by memories associated with their smell and their taste. Those small and sweet fruit that I ate during my vacation, the green and acids over which we put salt during periods of school in the country and others driven by hunger from the Farm. After taking a bite of the fruit I had left between the teeth, while a few drops of juice running down his chin and I soiled clothes, sucking the seeds to make them stay white and if I threw the peel on the floor was as dangerous as that of a banana.

Mangoes remind me every step of my life, but also any period that has recently gone through this land. I do come to mind that the free market where I tasted it for the first time the juices of mango. After it came the process of rectification of errors and negative tendencies, with which they were swept away residues small middle class.

Despite all the stubbornness, mango is still here, marks our lives with her poor taste and makes every garden in a corner of prosperity, at least until the end of summer.

A visit to an orchard is a magical sight for any kid. After some time trees and trees laden with the fruit in vibrant shades of green and yellow is a sight to behold. As strong winds start blowing children would run from one mango tree to other collecting fresh mangoes that would keep falling all day. It is just like a mango shower.

As time progresses this mangoes are then used to make breakfast or teatime treats. And there have been few other fruits that have captivated the hearts, minds and tongues of the majority of the world’s population. It has a universal appeal and grows from ground level to an altitude of 5000 feet.

Legend has it that the sage Narada brought a mango to Shiva during a full moon night. The brothers Kartikeya and Ganesha quarreled because both wanted to possess the fruit. Shiva decided that the mango would be won by the one who, would be faster in making three times around the world. Karthika went around the places, while Ganesh was limited to race three times around his parents arguing that they represented for him all over the world. Ganesh won the award and Karthika, offended, withdrew to the Palani Hills in Tamil Nadu.

In this region and in neighboring Karnataka, there is a burgeoning crop of India which is the world's largest exporter of mango. Only in Karnataka you can enumerate at least fifty preparations involving the use of the fruit and that go beyond the classic chutney.

In India, Mangoes have been cultivated in India from time immemorial and are found in plenty during the summer season with over 100 varieties of mangoes, in different sizes, shapes and colours. There must be as many types of mangoes in India as there are languages. The perfumed Alphonso, the green Dashehari, the parrot beaked Totapuri, the orange beauty Banaganapalli, the succulent Chausa and the golden skinned Langada, gleaming in their jewel red tones, yellow and dark green with their own distinct aromas.

In India, not only is the fruit, a symbol of fertility, as it is believed to be the abode of Kama, the god of love, but the leaves and flowers of the mango are also considered sacred. The leaves are woven together at the entrance of homes to show devotion to the gods. In fact, the mango is considered sacred in the eyes of the Hindus as those of Buddhists. The warm color of the flesh becomes the ideal color for elegant silk saris, and the theme of fruit and flower are declined in textiles and jewelry, recurring motifs in particular during a wedding feast.

A string of mango leaves are tied across doorways, as an auspicious symbol on auspicious and religious occasions, and are included into many of the associated rituals. This fruit is very much a part of our festivals and the songs we sing. Jewelers design intricate ornaments earrings or necklaces with mango designs. The tree and its fruit are symbols of fertility and abundance, love and devotion and some believe that the Mango tree can even grant wishes.

In India, it is said, there are only two seasons the rainy season, which quenches the land, and the mango season, which satisfies the palate and the heart of men. Last week, an unexpected storm has informed me the arrival of the season of the fruit pulp sweet and juicy. The scent of flowers on the branches, heightened humidity of the air, joined to the heat of the earth in a symphony of flavors.

Mango trees underpin campaigns, giving shade and fruits. For the Indians the 100 days of the collection of more than 500 varieties of fruit less than a hundred in trade renewing nostalgic memories of a distant childhood, of days spent exploring the area and green mangoes harvested from plants and eaten with a pinch of black salt and chilli powder. The sour taste of unripe fruits is literally sweeping the palate, you read it in the ecstatic eyes of the patrons of makeshift kiosks that sell them on the street.

No less popular is the sweet taste that matures with time. So the Indian mango reigns on the boards longer: green and fresh before the great harvest, ripe and sweet in an infinite number of avatars, and finally, in the months away from the season good, preserved in pickles or achaar or fruit juices in this recent television commercial by Katrina Kaif played for the mango slice swayamvara and aamsutra.

So much is the passion of mango draw at home by expatriate Indians especially those in the U.S. where laws are strict on the import of fruit. A resident of Delhi, Mumbai snapping away in an alphonso mango will be forced to admit the goodness, but do not resist commenting but the mango is divine for the mango is almost universal, as well as the disagreement on what is the best variety. In recent years, broke the mango-chic trend or pay very dear to savor a mango before the season and show the world their purchasing power. But for the majority of Indians waiting for the right time makes it more delicious every bite of mango. Only in Bihar mango is a tool of empowerment of women.

A Dharhara generations families planted at least 10 mangoes for a daughter is born. Plants are the property of the child, the money made ​​from crops will be used to pay for education and the dowry and the possession of trees enhances the esteem of women. In this village, gender equality is still far away, but thanks to the mango is a newly celebrated and exorcised the ghosts of her marriage. Mango operating instructions Beyond the nostalgia that evokes its use of ritual and social custom.

The ripe mango is very good, but bite into it is not so immediate: the skin is thick, slippery pulp, the seed from an irregular shape difficult to handle and the gravy stain. So you find yourself on a train with an appetizing fruit in hand, a great desire to eat it and not know how to do! Do not worry, of course, the Indians have found a solution which is true for almost all the qualities of mango, provided it is ripe and the skin is thick gently press the fruit and decision until a creamy flesh, then cut a small part of the skin on the top-can fit even a bite and drink as you would with a mango juice.

If the mango is ripe will not be much, otherwise you can proceed by breaking the peel and eat the pulp remained attached.

Mangoes are a short lived fruit. Many Indians have found a better way to taste it throughout the year. Green unripe mangoes are pickled in many different ways, to be drawn out in other months, to be relished. It is so much more than a mere fruit.

A simple Avocado filled with prawns and mango salsa recipe for you to cook a great meal for family or friends. The ripe mango is generally sweet, although of course the taste and texture vary depending on the cultivar. Some have a soft texture and fleshy, similar to that of a plum very mature; while others have a more solid, like a cantaloupe or avocado.

For consumption of unripe fruits cooked mango peel can be left on the fruit , although there is the possibility that cause dermatitis lips, teeth and gums in susceptible individuals. In ripe fruits which are to be eaten fresh the peel can be harsh and bitter, so it is generally not consumed, although in some varieties it is possible consumption. The fruit, unripe if purchased, will keep at room temperature until it becomes soft, then it is consumed naturally by depriving him of the peel and cut two thick slices at the core. The cut in the porcupine is another way in which it is consumed.

In this cut the peel is left, and then the pulp is cut in the shape of square grid, without affecting the peel itself. When the skin is turned inside out you get small blocks of flesh held together by the skin, which come out as if to form a hedgehog. The cut a porcupine is a popular way to consume fresh mango.

The taste varies depending on the cultivar. In some initially is very sweet, but it becomes pleasantly sour, aromatic, fresh and exotic. In the pulp close to the skin, you may get to hear a pungent aroma, but still delicate. In other cultivars instead it has a strong and distinctive smell of turpentine. The mango are widely used in the kitchen. The unripe mango along with other ingredients form the chutney, condiment widely used in India to accompany the meat, or it can be eaten raw with salt or sauce of soy.

A refreshing summer drink called panna or Panha is made with mango. Although the ripe fruits are mainly eaten fresh, they are also used in some recipes. Aamras is a popular drink made with mango and sugar or milk, and drink accompanied with bread. The ripe mangoes are also often cut into thin slices, dried, folded and cut again. The bars obtained are similar to the fingers of guava available in some countries. The ripe fruit is also added to products like muesli. The mango can also be used to make juices, nectars, and to give flavor or be the main ingredient in sorbets and ice creams . The unripe mango may be eaten with bagoong especially in the Philippines, fish sauce or a pinch of salt.

The mango is the national fruit of India of Pakistan and the Philippines. Hinduism a perfectly ripe mango fruit is hand-held by Ganesha as a symbol of perfection. The inflorescences of mango are also used in the rites of the goddess Saraswati. The leaves of mango are also used to decorate the lintels and doors during the wedding and celebration as the Ganesh Chaturthi. Patterns in the form of mango are widely used in different Indian styles of weaving.

The mango represent about half of the total world production of tropical fruits. The 10 countries with the largest production account for 80% of world production. The cultivar Alphonso, Benishaan or Benisha Banganapalli in Telugu and Tamil and Kesar varieties are considered among the best in the Indian states of the south, while Dussehri and Langda are the most popular in the northern states.

Generally, ripe mangoes have a yellowish skin orange and juicy at the time of consumption, while exported fruit are often picked while still immature and the skin is still green. Although they produce ethylene during ripening fruits collected will not have the same flavor and juiciness of the fruit fresh.
A visit to an orchard was a magical sight as after some time the trees laden with the fruit in vibrant shades of green and yellow was a sight to behold. As strong winds would start blowing we would run from one mango tree to the other collecting fresh mangoes that would keep falling all day. It was just like a mango shower.

Those were moments of priceless ecstasy when over those small and sweet green mangoes, I put a pinch of black salt and chilli powder and ate during my school vacations after stealing some from gardens. After taking a bite of the fruit I had left between the teeth, a few drops of juice would run down the chin and while the clothes would be soiled, I would suck the seeds to make them stay white and I threw the seed on my own garden as I loved to see the purple leaves coming out of the newborn mango tree. And finally, during the months long after the good season, I would taste it as pickles carefully prepared by mom.

Mangoes remind me every step of my life, but also any period that has recently gone through this land. As in a cycle of life that transcends the crisis, hardships, unfinished agendas, mangoes come again from the long and sharp ones to the large and fleshy ones. Despite all the stubbornness, mango is still here that marks our lives with her great taste and makes every garden into a corner of prosperity, at least until the end of summer.

The scent of the mango flowers on the branches, the heightened humidity in the air, along with the sweltering summer heat unite in a symphony of flavours as myths, legends, fragrance and gratitude, is what we taste when we taste a mango.