Mangifera indica: The king of fruits, Part 2 – Also grows in Sahyadri!!

Welcome back again!! Thank you very much for response given to my five blog posts! I am encouraged to post more and will continue to do so. 

Unripe Mango 

I am aware, the king of fruits- mango deserves a special treatment. There is so much wrote, thought and researched on mango, that he needs two series write ups, so we will be at least able to cover some basic parts and yes, not fully! I believe self-experience and feelings is the only way to understand the mango.

Anyways, let’s start our journey with Mango again.

The tree of mango is also culturally important. As per Hindu culture, green young leaves are considered as auspicious i.e. Shubh and used in many spiritual functions, for welcoming the dignities. Actually, green young leaves are considered as part of every auspicious function. The fruit is a symbol of prosperity and a healthy, happy life.

Mango either unripe or ripe has as many as delicious main and side dishes. Every region of India has its own delicious dishes derived from mango fruit.  The mango is used fresh, sun dried, cold stored, as fresh or stored pulp, canned pulp, pieces, pickles using unripe full-size mangoes-fresh or boiled, mango pieces etc. 

Every dish prepared using any form of mango is equally delicious. The dry unripe mango sun dried powder called Amchur is very famous as additive for taste in many prepared food items. Many tribal parts and also villagers have a side business to collect the wild unripe mangoes and prepare the Amchur powder and earn side income. Similarly, the refined mango pulp of fresh ripe mangoes, is sun dried in definite thickness to have dried mango cakes, like biscuits, which are soft and too yummy. And when it rains outside and you consume such dried cake, its memorable, the taste of original mango, may be even made out of Hapus! slowly gathers in the mouth, secrets more saliva, and refreshing feel spreads over the body. Such a wonderful fruit of Mango, has occupied a definite space of our daily life. 

Mango is rich source of many vitamins, minerals which are well documented by many experts and are easily available hence not produced again here in this write up. 

The fruit of mango shields us from intense heat, improves slow digestive system in summer cardiovascular diseases, promotes liver health, strengthens Tooth gums, improves immunity.

Such a wonderful fruit has found place in many folk songs, few of famous are:

In Marathi Lavni, “ Padala piklay amba..” ( Pāḍalā pikalanya āmbā),“ Amba pikto ras galto kokancha raja zimma khelto”, (Āmbā pikatō rasa gaḷatō kōkaṇacā rājā jhim'mā khēḷatō). You can find out so many songs dedicated to mango in almost all languages. 

Ripe Mango

To the surprise, the volumes written titled as “Indian Medicinal Plants by Kirtikar and Basu in the year 1918, about 102 years back, mentions about mango and its usage. This book has almost 4-6 pages dedicated to mango and worth reading. This also indicates the wide use of mango and also a part of our daily life. 

It’s interesting to read out.  Even the ancient book on Ayurvedic medicines, Bhavprakash Nighantu in Sanskrit, describes this plant and its usefulness. There are almost 8 shlokas dedicated to mango. 

This is described below.

आम्रश्चूतो रसालश्च कीरेष्टो मदिरासखः | कामाङ्गः सहकारश्च परपुष्टो मदोद्भवः ||१||

आम्रो रसालो माकन्दः कामाङ्गः पिकबान्धवः | वनपुष्पोत्सवश्चूतः परपुष्टो मदोद्भवः ||२||

मधुश्चूतो मधुफलः सुफलो मदिरासखः | वसन्तपादपोऽसौ तु सहकारोऽतिसौरभः ||३||

बालं कषायं कट्वम्लं रूक्षं वातास्रपित्तकृत् | सम्पूर्णमाम्रमम्लं च रक्तपित्तकफप्रदम् ||४||

हृद्यं वर्णकरं रुच्यं रक्तमांसबलप्रदम् | कषायानुरसं स्वादु वातघ्नं बृंहणं गुरु ||५||

पित्तावरोधि सम्पक्वमाम्रं शुक्रविवर्धनम् | मधुरं बृंहण बल्यं गुरु विष्टम्भ्यजीर्णकृत् ||६||

सहकाररसो हृद्यः सुरभिः स्निग्धरोचनः |त्वङ्मूलपल्लवं ग्राहि कषायं कफपित्तजित् ||७||

पक्वाम्रं सकषायाम्लं भेदनं कफवातजित् |हृद्यं वर्णकरं रुच्यं रक्तमांसबलप्रदम् ||८||   

Āmraścutō rasālaśca karīrēstō madirāsakhaḥ | jēṅgaḥḥ sahakāraśca parapuṣṭō madōdbhavaḥ || 1 ||

āmarō rasālō mĕkandaḥ bāraṅgaḥ pikabāndhavaḥ | vanapuṣpōtsavaścūtaḥ parapuṣṭō madōdbhavaḥ || 2 ||

madhuścutō madhuphalaḥ suphalō madirāsakhaḥ |vasantapādō̕sau sahakārō̕tisaurabhaḥ || 3 ||

bālaṁ kaśyēna kaṭvalalaṁ rukṣaṁ asr̥ptakr̥ṣṇa |sarvamāmamlamm ca raktaptakaphapradam || 4 ||

hr̥dyaṁ varṇakarṇa rucyaṁ raktamānsabalapradam |kaśyayanūrasaṁ stiṣu vatghnaṁ br̥ṅgha guru || 5 ||

pittāvarōdhi sampattīvamā namūna kr̥tivivardhanam |madhuraṁ br̥hanaṁ balyaṁ gurū viṣṭmyajñikr̥ṣṇa || 6 ||

…..and so on…these shlokas are divided for two stages of mango fruit, one is unripe and second is ripe ones. 

The meaning includes,

This tree is friend of the bird, Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) i.e. Kokila or Koel. The unripe fruit is very delight and helps in cooling down the body heat, improves the taste and appetite. Also helps in balancing the Tridoshas as per Ayurvedic medicinal system.  

The ripe fruit is very beautiful, sweet, refreshing, tasty, energetic and is appetizer. During the pre summer and during the summer time (in Indian sub-continent), such a wonderful tree is (pride) of forest. 

To conclude this write up and just to name few of the recipes, Raw mango rasam, with fruit salad, Raw mango rice, Aam panha, Amba Daal, Raw mango with fish, Pickles, Chhunda, sauces, pulp, juices, cold drinks, ice creams with mango-fresh or preserved- puree, .... creativity is Limitless.

We as mango lover, can bring out our own recipes. Readers and mango lovers can definitely write to me with their ideas about various recipes of mango-unripe or ripe ones.

Yes, such a fruit of mango, we all love and like to have. Hoping that this brief information about the fruit of mango, may have excited all our readers to explore more about this king of fruit. If we get excited to find out more about this fruit, I believe purpose of writing in brief about the mango is served.

(Source: various books and compilations)