Mangoes: A Sweet Journey Through History and Cultures

The British Love for Mango Chutney

During the British Raj, settlers in India didn’t eat fresh mangoes with their hands. But they loved preserved mangoes. They enjoyed them as chutneys. Major Grey’s Chutney is a mild condiment. You can find it in the United States. It has mango, raisins, vinegar, lime juice, onion, tamarind extract, sweeteners, and spices. Chutneys are key to the “Ploughman’s lunch”. This is a cold English meal. It has bread, cheese, and sweet/sour condiments. Workmen originally took it to the fields.

Victorian Women and Their Mango Stories

Brave Victorian women wrote about their mango encounters. They did this in places where mangoes grow. Marianne North was a botanical explorer, artist, and traveler. She painted the mango tree, its flowers, and its fruit. One of her famous works is Foliage and Flowers of the Clove, Fruit of the Mango and Hindoo God of Wisdom. She made it in India in the 1870s. She gave more than 900 artworks to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the 1880s. In her notes, she writes:

The Mango is one of the most delicious tropical fruits. There are many types. They differ in quality. People use unripe mangoes in tarts. They also preserve them in sugar or vinegar.

Lady Annie Brassey’s Mango Taste

Lady Annie Brassey was a famous Victorian author. She traveled the world with her family on their luxury yacht. In her book A Voyage in the “Sunbeam” (1878), she described her first mango taste:

The King of Fruits is a mix of apricot and pineapple. The best types have a blend of many nice flavors. But common types taste like turpentine and treacle. People who grew up with mangoes love types that others may not like. The best types are without fiber. You can eat them with a spoon, like custard. Some types have fiber. They have a strong, nice flavor. You eat them by sucking the pulp through a hole in the skin.

She also writes:

To really enjoy mangoes, eat them alone. Lean over the side of the ship in the early morning. Roll up your sleeves. Use no knife and fork. Tear off the skin with your teeth. Suck the abundant juice.

Lady Maria Callcott’s Mango Memories

Lady Maria Callcott was the daughter of a naval officer. She lived and traveled in India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). In her book Journal of a Residence in India (1812), she writes about Mazagong’s fame. It’s a part of today’s Mumbai. The fame is due to the mangoes grown there. She calls them “the best fruit I ever tasted”. She noted:

The parent tree of this type is guarded by sepoys during the fruit season. In Shah Jahan’s reign, couriers were between Delhi and the Mahratta coast. They ensured a fresh supply of mangoes for the royal table.

Isabella Lucy Bird’s Mango Adventures

Isabella Lucy Bird wrote many books about her travels. In The Golden Chersonese and the Way Thither (1883), she describes her mango experience in Hawaii:

Mr. K’s house has the finest mango grove on the islands. The mango tree has fine leaves. But it’s covered with a black blight. This makes the groves look like they’re in mourning. The mango is an exotic fruit. People think highly of it. They send boxes of mangoes as gifts. It’s yellow with a reddish bloom. It looks like a magnum bonum plum, but three times bigger. The best way to eat it is to have a tub of water beside you. It’s best eaten in private. It has a big stone and a small pulp. It tastes strongly of turpentine at first. But this is a heresy.

Mango Cultivation in Europe

Mangoes can’t grow in most of Europe. But there are a few exceptions. Small areas along the southern coast of Spain near Málaga and in Sicily can grow mangoes. Farmers are replacing olive groves with mango trees. This is controversial. Mangoes need more water. This changes the balance of resources.

Climate change is helping mango cultivation in a small area on the island of Sicily. Sicilian farmers have grown lemons and oranges for centuries. But now, they must compete with cheaper imports. The island’s climate has risen 1.5°C (2.7°F) in the last hundred years. This makes tropical fruits, like mangoes, a good option for the local economy.

Mangoes Around the World

Mangoes are not widely grown in Europe or the US. But the flavor of mango is becoming more popular. Better transport systems allow successful importation of the fruit from mango-producing countries all year round. These countries include:

• Burkina Faso
• Ivory Coast
• Mali
• Brazil
• Peru
• Dominican Republic
• Mexico

Excerpted with permission from Mango: A Global History, Constance L Kirker and Mary Newman, Pan Macmillan.