We all love mangoes in its various forms – health drinks, juice, smoothie, pie and also in salad…but most of us do not know the history of mango as a food. Where did it originate, its journey over the years, the various recipes it is used and also it present day status. Mango history is unknown to many of us – but given an opportunity we would all love to know about the history of our favorite fruit. Here are some glimpses for all mango lovers – I am sure you are going to find it interesting.

Origin and spread of mango as a food:
• Mangoes were first known to southeastern Asian regions especially India, where they are mainly grown. These are known to us as a food for more than four thousand years and were eaten as fruits mainly.
• If we go by history, we understand this fact that as people moved from one place to another, they carried the fruit to newer territories. This slowly led to the spread of mango and its development as a food item...like its use as a drink, as home made pickles and home-made jam.
• History says that mangoes were slowly carried to Africa in the 16th century. During this time mango started being processed as a food. It started being available in tinned and canned variety at many places.
• The fruit slowly traveled to different parts of the world through Portuguese ships in the later years of 1700’s. It soon started being eaten as a part of fruit salads, as a health drink,as snacks and as a breakfast item.
• In the year 1742 mangoes were grown in West Indies and soon became a popular fruit of the region. They were now available as sauces, mango syrups and raw mangoes were added to food items too, to enhance their tanginess.
• In the year 1860 mangoes were introduced to Florida along the Eastern Coast where just a few varieties were grown during that period. This was a major boost for mango lovers. Mango flavored beverages, ice creams, pie, pudding, sweets, candies, tarts, salsa, cookies and all type of mango desserts were soon introduced in different places.
• In the year 1889 a new variety was introduced by United States Department of Agriculture which was known as Mulgoa. Now mango sweets, mango flavored drinks and other mango foods started being sold in every store.

Popularity of mangoes in the present times:

Today mangoes are popular all over the world with 17 million metric tons of mangoes being produced every year. Mangoes are now available in more than 50 varieties which are all different in size, color and of course the taste. Mangoes are now used in the making of several recipes which includes some very popular Asian dishes like mango chutney, aamras and sharbat.

Image courtesy: yasmeen-healthnut.blogspot, kraftrecipes