The
mango is the most popular fruit of the tropics and is
called 'The King of Asiatic fruits'.
It is regarded as a valuable item of diet and a household
remedy. The mango is fleshy drupe, variable in size
and shape, with varying mixtures of green, yellow and
red color.
The mango is indigenous to India. It has been cultivated
here for over 4000 years. In vedas, mango is praised
as a heavenly fruit.
Ayurveda considers ripe mango sweet and heating. It
balances all the three doshas and acts as an energizer.
Green, unripe mango is
also used in Indian cooking. Several varieties are especially
cultivated for using raw. Green mango could be picked
long before ripening while it is still hard. The fruit
is grated and added to dhals and vegetables, or made
into chutneys and pickles. The ayurvedic qualities of
green mango are sour, astringent and cooling. They should
not be eaten alone or in large quantities because they
can aggravate the doshas, especially Pitta dosha. However,
prepared ayurvedically, in combination with spices,
for example in a chutney, they help digestion and improve
the flavor of food.
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Food Value
The-mango is used as food in all stages of its development.
Green or unripe mango contains a large portion of starch,
which gradually changes into glucose, sucrose and maltose
as the fruit begins to ripe. It disappears completely
when the fruit is fully ripe. Green mango is a rich
source of pectin, which gradually diminishes after the
formation of the stone. Unripe mango is sour in taste
because of the presence of oxalic, citric, malic and
succinic acids.
The raw mango is a valuable
source of vitamin C. It contains more vitamin C than
half-ripe or fully ripe mangoes, It is also a good source
of vitamin B1 and B2 and contains sufficient quantity
of niacin. These vitamins differ in concentration in
various varieties during the stages of maturity and
environmental conditions.
The ripe fruit is very wholesome and nourishing. The
chief food ingredient of mango is sugar. The acids contained
in the fruit are tartaric acid and malic acid, besides
a trace of citric acid. The body utilizes these acids
and they help to maintain the alkali reserve of the
body.
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