Every season brings with it an offering and so is it with summer, which seems to be cajoling us through the sweltering heat with its baskets of mangoes, in all hues ranging from a dark green to a fiery red-orange to a bright yellow. The pulp, when ripe, however, will always be yellow, signalling its beta carotene content.
Etymologically from manga in Tamil, mango, which originated in India, belongs to the drupe family and is related to the cashew, but also to poison ivy, with which it shares the resin urushiol, a possible allergen causing contact dermatitis in some.
This apart, the succulent flesh of our national fruit is full of the goodness of an array of vitamins, minerals and fibre, qualifying it as a super food.
So, the mangolicious delight is not a forbidden fruit!
For starters, know that one cup of diced mango is the equivalent of about 200 to 225 gm, with a calorie count of 100.
It will provide 1 gm of protein, 0.5 gm of fat, 25 gm of carbohydrate in the form of sugar and fibre, 100 per cent of our daily requirement of vitamin C, 35 per cent that of vitamin A, 20 per cent of folate, 10 per cent of vitamin B6, 8 per cent of vitamin K as well as copper, calcium, iron and beta carotene.
Let us see how these nutrients help our body: the antioxidant zeaxanthin that mango contains is good for our eyes as it filters out the harmful effect of blue light rays and is deemed to prevent macular degeneration.
We know how potent beta carotene is for our health, especially in protecting us from colon, prostate and breast cancer.
Rich in glutamic acid and a good source of vitamin B6, mango is good for our brain as well, helping our memory and our nerve function.
Cosmetically, it is considered good for hair and skin. A mango a day can keep wrinkles away since its high vitamin C content helps both in the building and maintaining of collagen, an essential element to protect skin elasticity.
According to our traditional food wisdom, mango is considered cooling, and thus, summer heralds the preparation of aam panna which replenishes minerals leached by sweating.
It also fights acidity, given the presence of alkalising tartaric, malic and traces of citric acids.
In fact, many traditional medicine streams, such as Chinese and African, use various parts of the mango tree, leaves and bark included, for treating various ailments. For example, in Africa, a decoction of leaves is prescribed to strengthen the stomach; according to Chinese medicine, mango reduces kidney stones and promotes good digestion, a belief shared by Ayurveda.
The many digestive enzymes mango contains, such as mangiferin, catechol oxidase and lactase, help detoxify the body.
This fruit of high antiquity, going back several millennia, is laden with cultural significance: a toran of 17 mango leaves is said to ward off evil; the fruit is a popular motif in traditional textiles, and according to legend, Buddha instantaneously created a mango tree from a seed at Shravasti.
With so much going for it culturally, nutritionally and gastronomically — as the myriad pickles, chutneys, pachadis and aami daals attest to — the crown naturally goes to mango, known as the king of fruits.
