With summer, the mango season also arrives. It is perhaps the only thing that makes one look forward summer, with its golden yellow skin resembling the glorious sun’s radiance.  

It is the national fruit of Pakistan, India and Philippines and it much revered in Bangladesh where they have declared the mango tree as their national tree.

Mango trees are evergreens that can grow to 60 feet. They require hot, dry weather to set and produce a good crop and starts fruiting four to six years after planting. History of cultivation and grafting of mango trees goes back to thousands of years. There was a time when grafting was a well-guarded secret in many cultures and tasty mangoes were the status symbols of the royalty only.

In order to have the best of the species, kings are said to have ordered their slaves to steal branches of high-quality mangoes from the farms of their rival kings; they would also bribe and even abduct the skilful gardeners of other mango garden owners. Peasants were punished for possession of the golden produce or unauthorised cultivation of the fruit trees, whereas the royalty strived to surpass each other with lavish mango parties and gifts of the choicest, ripen, delicious fruits.

Some of today’s awesome varieties existed many, many years ago exactly as we have them now. There are more than 200 varieties of mangoes in Pakistan, in a range of colours, sizes and shapes, each with a distinct flavour and taste such as chaunsa, sindhri, langra, anwar ratol, dusehri, saroli, laal badshah, jagirdar, chaman — the list is long but first four or five of these are the most famous ones. By the way, mangoes are distantly related to a few plants that you’d probably never guess: the cashew and pistachio and some of its varieties weigh up to four pounds!

Due to their sweetness and richness of nutrients, mangoes are deservingly credited as “king of fruits”. This wonder fruit is called aam in our own language which is synonymous for ‘ordinary’. But the British, who tasted this fruit only 300 years ago, paid the best possible respect to the tropical delicacy ‘man-goes’, if broken up the word appropriately describes what happens to a man who ventures to try it out. Yes, ‘man goes crazy’ and is hooked onto it for life! There is probably no other fruit which is consumed in so many forms from its “pre-birth” stage till the overripe product.

The absolutely raw kairy (raw mango), which is the source in our delectable, tongue-tingling pickles, celebrated for their flavour as well as digestive benefits. Very soon, the kairy turns into pale yellow texture which brings us the mouth-watering chutneys, both sweet and sour.

As the days pass, all of us, especially children, eagerly look towards the fruit stalls, unable to contain ourselves and keep asking, “How many days to go now?” And there you are, from end of May till early September — the right time to gorge while mangoes are at their peak.

These “apples of tropics”, both ripe and unripe are bursting with good-for-you nutrients, with vitamins and minerals. They are truly a super food for the heart as they provide the heart healthy fibres, vitamins A, B and C. Thanks to vitamins E, mangoes are also a super food for our immunity, making us stronger and less prone to diseases.

Do you know that when mangoes are green, they contain more vitamin C? That’s right! And as they ripen, the amount of vitamin A increases. Potassium helps in reducing high blood pressure, while iron provides our body with stamina. It has antioxidants which can neutralise radicals, responsible for promoting cancer. Mangoes are especially useful for those who lack concentration in studies as it contains glutamine acid which is good to boost memory. Another benefit of mangoes comes from the presence of garlic acid, which works as a blood cleanser and great disinfectant for the body.

Every part of the mango is beneficial and has been utilised in folk remedies in some form or another. Even the inedible parts — be it the leaves, skin or a pit — all have been concocted into various types of treatments or preventatives down through the centuries.

The best way to get all the wonderful benefits of the mango is to eat it fresh. Besides, you can also combine it with other fruits in salads or drink a glass of mango milkshake for breakfast.

So, relish the flavours of this amazing fruit and stay fit this summer!