What is the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear the word “Mango”? If someone would ask me, I would have three answers. To begin with, I would think of it as our National Fruit. Then, I would think of it as my Favorite Fruit. Finally, I would think of it as everyone’s favorite, for I know that as a Filipino, one must be proud of our own.
Mango (plural mangos or mangoes) is a tropical fruit of the mango tree. Mangoes belong to the genus Mangifera which consists of about 30 species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. These are according to The Hip 'n Free Philippine Encyclopedia (http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Mango).
Philippines, a country gifted with fertile soil, grow mangoes all around. But it does not just grow, it boosts, as mango is its own National Fruit. There are plenty of reasons why mango is considered as such:
First, varieties of mango are present here in the Philippines because as a tropical fruit it is found and grown anywhere around a tropical country. Philippines is even considered as one of the top 12 mango producers as of 2005, along with India, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Nigeria, Guinea, Brazil, Vietnam and Bangladesh. Second, mango here in the Philippines is considered for its best quality. It is known for its sweetness and there are a lot of ways to enjoy it. For example, one can have it as a snack or in a form of dessert.
Third, mango can be served in different ways. These are namely, in a plain way, as processed, and it can also be dried or frozen. Mango served in a plain way is the same as eating it during meals, when a family is enjoying a sliced mango served on the table. Processed mangoes are placed in a container where one can make a drink out of it or anything. Mangoes can also be dried or frozen, dried mangoes are popular here in the Philippines and frozen mangoes are one of the most-loved desserts. The most known source of dried mango here in the country is Cebu City. Fourth, mango is one of the major products in the Philippines making it to export market around the world. In the country, Western Visayas, Central Luzon and Ilocos Region are the top leading producers of mangoes.
Fifth, mango is an all-around fruit, as one can enjoy it whether ripe or unripe. In the Philippines, unripe mangoes are popular with “bagoong “ or salt when eaten, while most of the ripe mangoes may served as an ingredient in ice creams, desserts, fruit salads, dishes, or in different drinks such as, juices and shakes. Sixth, mangoes can be eaten and prepared anytime and anywhere. It is also affordable. For instance, students can eat unripe mango along the street and it will not cost them so much of their money. At the same time, during holidays or in every occasion, mango is available. When someone passes by in the marketplace or even in the street, no one can deny the fact that he/she is not tempted to taste the sweet-looking fruit displayed in the basket. Seventh, mango fruit contains a lot of vitamins and minerals that will contribute great benefits for one’s health and help us in maintaining one’s heart in good shape.
These are just few of the reasons why consider mango as the National Fruit in the Philippines. Now, who would not exactly be proud of having mango as their National Fruit?
Mangoes are really popular in the different tropical countries and there are different varieties of it. There are over 2,500 varieties of mango in whole world, and one thing that all of these varieties share a common thing is that all are green when unripe. Some remain green, while other turns golden, bright red, or a combination of these colors. Mangoes can be round, oval, heart-shaped, or kidney-shaped; and can weigh as little as a few ounces or as much as five pounds. Their highly aromatic flesh surrounds a very large inedible flat seed. At its best, it has a pleasant quality, but at its worst can smell like kerosene. Fresh mangoes are rich in Vitamins A and C and other nutrients.
Some varieties of mangoes in the Philippines are shared worldwide but there are different kinds of mangoes that we are proud and known of. In the Philippines, good examples of these are Manggang Kalabaw (Carabao Mangoes), Katchamitha (Indian), Pico (Piko), Pahutan (Mangifera altissima), Dubul, Binuboy, Senorita and Pajo.
Manggang Kalabaw also referred to as “Manila Super Mango” by the Philippine government is reported to be the sweetest mango in the world. The Manila mango is more slender than any other large mango varieties and it has a yellow-orange skin which wrinkles once it is very ripe.
Philippine’s carabao mango is also enjoyable to eat when unripe especially if one will eat it with bagoong, salt or anything one will prefer.
Katchamita mango is small and short oval in form. Its skin is smooth and its color varies to green to yellow green when mature. Filipinos usually prefer the fruit unripe (when it turns green) than when it is ripe.
Its red button mark is develop when it reach its matured green stage and it is Pico's difference among the other varieties. Filipinos usually favor them in their green rich in falvor stage rather than in yellow ripened stage. It is nicer in that stage of ripeness, crunchy with a bit of tartness and a hint of sweetness, than when they are fully ripened. Its sweetness when ripe is tasteless compared to the carabao mangoes which are really well-known for its sweetness.
Pahutan mango or commonly known as Menang is consumed uncooked or employed in preserves. Senorita mango, which is commonly grown in the fertile lands of Davao region, is rich in flavor and contains lots of vitamins C and A.
Pajo mango is best eaten fresh just by peeling its skin. If it is unripe, it is quite sour but has more vitamins C. It is best eaten with a shrimp paste or fish sauce. Pajo mango when unripe is also commonly used in making pickles. Filipinos also love eating manggang hilaw (green, unripe mangoes) raw with rock salt or with the fish paste bagoong.
Mango is not just known for its sweetness, it also serves as a sole ingredient in various desserts, ice creams, sundaes, jams, beverages, and some dishes. Filipinos just love mangoes. One can prepare a lot of things out of mangoes, from mango shake to mango jam, mango pie to mango float or to toppings on fruit salad or as an accompaniment to different dishes. Mango is a very versatile fruit. Nothing can quite compare with the mangoes that we have here in the country aside from the mangoes that we share in common with the distinct countries around the world.
Among these popular desserts made out of mango is the so-called Mango Float, which is very common here in the Philippines. Mango Float is easy to prepare, affordable and appropriate for almost all occasions. Mango Float preparation comes in 6 steps.
(1) Slice mangoes thin.
(2) Combine condensed milk, nestle cream and mangoes. Layer the graham crackers in a square glass pan. (3) Put layers of graham crackers followed by the mangoes, cream and milk mixture.
(4) Repeat the layers of graham crackers and filling until you’ve used it all. Top the final layer with graham crackers.
(5) Chill overnight.
(6) Serve frozen Mango Float.
Another popular recipe that uses mango as an ingredient is the well-known Mango Shake, where in, it is really a famous thirst quencher.
There are 4 steps how to make a Mango Shake.
(1) Boil the milk and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
(2) Peel and cut the mango and crush in a mixer.
(3) Pour the milk and sugar; grind once again.
(4) Serve chill Mango Float.
There are several ways to eat a mango. These are the following, through easy slices, with the use of a spoon, cut in cubes or on a fork. When a person eats a mango through easy slices, he or she must have a sharp thin-bladed knife, and cut off both ends of the fruit. Then, place the fruit on flat end and cut away peel from top to bottom along curvature of the fruit. Lastly, cut fruit into slices by carving lengthwise along the pit. One can also enjoy eating a mango with the use of spoon to scoop out fruit from halves and enjoy sweet center over the sink. Eating mango in cubes is also easy; one must cut 1/2" squares by scoring mango with a sharp knife and be careful not cut through skin; turn mango half "inside out," separating cubes then lastly, slice off squares with a knife. The last way to enjoy eating a mango is on the fork. One must cut skin on top of mango crosswise, and then pull skin away from fruit in quarters or eighths, place mango on a fork and serve. (http://freshmangos.com/aboutmangos/index.html)
All in all, I can truly attest that mango is almost everyone’s favorite all-around fruit.
Sources:
http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Mango
http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Dried_Mangoes
http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/Mangifera-mango.pdf
http://freshmangos.com/mangorecipes/recipes.html
