Its that time! Its that time of the year, back home where its all about only one fruit! Mangoes, Mangoes and Mangoes - especially our family! Most days in a summer, our staple food is just Mangoes and nothing else! We used to eat them for breakfast, lunch, snack time and dinner...so crazy about them. Mango - known as the King of the Fruits around the world is a real King in our home. I remeber my dad arranging them carefully on dried grass so that they ripe just the right colour and taste without getting spoiled. How I miss them!


Did you know these facts about Mangoes?

1. There are over 20 million metric tons of mangos grown throughout the tropical and sub-tropical world. The leading mango producer is India, with very little export as most are consumed within the country.

2. The Mango tree plays a sacred role in India; it is a symbol of love and some believe that the Mango tree can grant wishes.

3. Over 500 named varieties (some say 1,000) have evolved and have been described in India.

4. Chief importers are England and France, absorbing 82% of all mango shipments. Mango consumers in England are mostly residents of Indian origin, or English people who formerly lived in India.

5. India, with 2,471,000 acres (1,000,000 ha) of mangos (70% of its fruit-growing area) produces 65% of the world's mango crop–9,920,700 tons (9,000,000 MT).

6. A mango seed from Guatemala was planted in California about 1880 and a few trees have borne fruit in the warmest locations of that state, with careful protection when extremely low temperatures occur.

7. The fruit is a good source of vitamins A and C.

8. The mango is considered the oldest cultivated tree

  ¶ 4/06/2006 04:36:00 PM