Allison Turner
The mango is increasingly becoming part of the standard range in the fruit department in supermarkets, so you’ve probably gotten used to the sight of the exotic fruit long ago. You will rarely be able to determine 100% where an unpackaged, fresh mango actually comes from, as the mango tree is now cultivated in numerous countries and regions.
Where does the mango in the supermarket come from?
India, the country where most of the world’s mangoes come from, is responsible for about ten-million tons of fruit a year.
Although the mango plant originally comes from the tropical rainforest, it is now cultivated in large parts of the world. Among the producing countries are the USA, South and Central America, Mexico and parts of Africa and Asia. Pakistan is considered the third largest mango exporter in the world.
You can only guess where the mango you bought in your supermarket came from. Within Europe, Spain is currently the main supplier. There the cultures mainly occur on the Canary Islands and on the Costa del Sol.
Since the transport of the pressure-sensitive mango is unfortunately not without problems, you can assume that the shortest possible transport route is preferred in most cases, even for the European market.
The use of the mango in the kitchen
If you want to determine the degree of ripeness of a mango, you should pay attention to whether it smells pleasant. If you gently press the peel and the pulp gives slightly, it is ripe. If the mango skin also shows small, black dots of one to about four millimeters, it is definitely fully ripe.
The fruits can be eaten raw, making them excellent for preparing an exotic fruit salad. You can cook the mango, but you can also use it to make compotes, chutneys , juices or jam .
Mango – rich in vitamins
The mango is rich in vitamin A. It also contains enough vitamin C to cover almost a third of the human daily requirement with 100g of pulp.
The low-acid and easily digestible fruits are said to have a calming effect on the intestines, and in India the fruit is even said to have styptic and heart-strengthening properties.
The mango is an oil plant
Mango seed oil, which is obtained from the seeds of the dried fruit, has properties similar to cocoa butter.
Mango seed oil is used in chocolate , margarine and cosmetics.
