History of Mangos

Mango is one of the oldest trees cultivated proven by writings that are over 4,000 years old from India6. Its common name is Mango and its scientific name is the Mangifera indica L3. Mangos started growing in east India, Burma and the Andaman Islands bordering the Bay of Bengal4. People believe it was the Buddhist monks who brought the fruit to Malaysia and eastern Asia, as legend has it Buddha, the prince of India over 2,500 years ago, found peace and tranquility in a mango grove4. Traders and merchants from Persia took the mango to the Middle East and Africa, and then from Africa the Portuguese brought the mango to Brazil and the West Indies4. After the mango settled in the West Indies it reached Florida in the 1830’s and then California in the 1880’s4. There are a great variety of mangos out in the world. One of them being the San Felipe mango from western Cuba, it weights almost a pound and a half1. The skin of this mango has a yellow base color with a tint of red on top of it with white dots1. The San Felipe mango’s flesh is a deep yellow to orange, the flavor is rich, spicy, and sweet1. The tree is robust and yet productive and a constant producer1. Other very excellent mangos are the Madame Francis, Bombay mango, Julie mango, and Baptiste mango. The Madame Francis is usually a dessert mango from Haiti1. The skin of this mango is wavy and naturally waxed1. It turns bright yellow at full maturity and weighs from one to one and a half pounds1. “The dark orange flesh is soft and juicy, with a rich, spicy, and sweet flavor that speaks of the Caribbean”1. The tree is large, with light green leaves and a moderate tolerance to anthracnose, a disease caused by fungus1. Bombay mango was brought by early immigrants from India to the island of Jamaica1. This mango is very similar to the Pheri mango of India1. The Bombay mango weights from 12 to 14 ounces, and stay green even when ready to eat1. The flesh has no taste of fiber, it is a deep