Aam ki khaas baat: Know more about the global journey of mango

Aamras, a traditional Indian wedding dish. Pics\Mango: A Global History/Pan Macmillan

Earlier in February, we walked into a mango orchard in Malihabad, near Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The trees had just started to blush with the first flush of panicles - those delicate, pinkish-white flower clusters that herald the coming fruit. The scent was subtle but unmistakable, a sweet prelude to summer. The sleepy town is home to Kaleem Ullah Khan, known as the "Mango Man" of India, who grafted over 300 mango varieties onto a single 120-year-old tree in Uttar Pradesh.

Pic/iStock

Here, we learnt of the mango's journey from Myanmar to Malihabad - a rich narrative of how the mango evolved from a wild, forest fruit into one of India's most prized horticultural treasures. Interestingly, fossil records and ancient pottery pieces trace their roots back to the earliest civilisations of the Indian subcontinent. Packed with trivia, stories, and cross-cultural recipes, this book in the Edible Series launched last year by Pan MacMillan, Mango: A Global History by Mary Newman, Constance L Kirker takes the reader on a vibrant journey including Hindu epics, Ghalib's poetry, and the travel accounts of Ibn Battuta among others.

300
mango varieties grafted onto a single 120-year-old tree in Uttar Pradesh

Let's dive into the ‘juicy' details of this beloved fruit

Mangoes in Indian mythology
Mango is deeply rooted in South Asian spirituality. Buddha meditated under its shade, and in Jataka tales, it stands for selflessness and moral strength. In Jainism, it's sacred to the goddess Ambika, a symbol of fertility and motherhood, who is shown holding the fruit beneath a mango tree. In Hinduism, the mango is as revered as the apple in Christianity, representing knowledge, prosperity, and good fortune. The tree is seen as a Kalpavriksha, a wish-fulfilling tree whose fruit is harvested only after ritual offerings. Mango leaves adorn wedding spaces, brides wear mango mala necklaces, and tree marriages invoke fertility and enduring love. In one heartwarming tale, Ganesha wins a golden mango by circling his parents, declaring them his universe - an ode to love and devotion.

The Manggahan Festival in Guimaras, the Philippines

Mango as a sensory experience
Mangoes are more than just a fruit - they're a sensuous, emotional, and cultural experience. From the heady scent that fills the air to the golden juice that trickles down the fingers, eating a mango is an act of joy and surrender. Their flavours range from honey-sweet to sharp and piney, and their textures span fibrous to silky. For many in the diaspora, searching for a favourite variety is a search for belonging - for a slice of childhood, a connection to home. Whether pickled, powdered, juiced, or devoured whole, mangoes are never consumed - they're remembered, shared, and deeply felt. References to mangoes also bring to mind the "exotic" and "erotic". Well, all fruits are sexy, but mango is the only one that has a position in the Kama Sutra named for it - the ripe mango plum.

Queen Elizabeth II picks up a mango at a market in the British Virgin Islands, 1977

Mango's colonial past
British royalty also had their own love affair with mangoes. Queen Victoria, perhaps not fond of the messiness of mangoes, inspired the creation of mango forks. Queen Elizabeth II made sure there were always mangoes in her palace fridge, and colonial chutneys like Major Grey's became a staple in kitchens across the Empire. Mangoes even made their mark in the US, where pickled mangoes graced the tables of the wealthy and appeared in tavern menus alike. And across the Atlantic, in Loango Bay, Congo, mango trees took root, possibly planted in memory of the lives lost in the tragic history of slavery.

Jahangir welcoming Shah Abbas, Mughal School, c. 1620, watercolour, gold and ink on paper

Mango in literature
Mango is the only fruit with its literary genre, known somewhat derisively as "sari-mango" literature. Writers of the Indian diaspora and those who have left homes in Africa, the Caribbean, Mexico and the Philippines use mango imagery when referencing their nostalgia for the pleasures of their homelands that they most miss. Even the mango's linguistic journey is a reflection of its global reach. The word "mango" evolved from the Tamil aam-kaay to Malayalam's maanga, which was picked up by Portuguese traders and spread across the world, carrying the fruit's story. The mango's form, from oval to heart-shaped, its skin in colours of saffron, green, and even purple-blue, adds to its allure. Each variety, whether the Manila, Totapuri, or the aromatic Kesar, carries its own story.

Queen Victoria, a stickler for etiquette, would probably have disapproved of mangoes, whose juiciest varieties defy cutlery. During her reign, the British popularised ‘civilised' table manners across their empire - even creating a special mango fork.

Mango's royal affair
In ancient India, kings like Ashoka and Harsha nurtured mango trees long before the Mughals turned mango cultivation into a royal art. Akbar's Lal Bagh, with its 1,000 mango trees, was a marvel, and innovations in grafting under Jahangir and Shah Jahan ensured that mango trees flourished across India. Mangoes weren't just food - they were tools of diplomacy, symbols of imperial generosity, and even sacred offerings. This tradition continues today, as mangoes are gifted across borders as a sign of goodwill and friendship.

Deborah Griscom Passmore, Mulgoba Mango, 1907, watercolour illustration for the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection; (right) Shaved ice, Chinese dessert, Singapore

Mango in art
The mango's allure extends beyond the kitchen. It has been an artistic muse for centuries - from South Asian botanical illustrations in the 16th century to Gauguin's sensual Tahitian paintings, where mangoes were symbols of Eden's forbidden fruit. Artists like Frida Kahlo wove mangoes into their colourful market scenes in the Caribbean and Latin America, while DH Lawrence captured their erotic symbolism in Under the Mango Tree.

The paisley motif, born from the shape of the mango, spread globally through South Asian shawls and continues to influence fashion today. And now, in the modern world, you'll find shades like ‘Mango Mojito' and ‘Mango Tango' in everything from crayon boxes to wall paints, making the mango a constant source of inspiration.

Mangoes in a market in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2019

Mango in the kitchen
Beyond the fruit itself, mangoes offer so much more. The leaves, flowers, and seeds are all usable - infused into teas, added to dishes, or used to flavour mole sauce in Mexican cuisine. There's also a growing movement to minimise mango waste by using the kernels for oil and peels for fibre-rich powders for snacks, or being turned into vegan leather as seen in initiatives like Fruitleather Rotterdam - ­­a reminder of just how much this fruit continues to give.

Mango in power
The mango is soft power, cultural connection and trade tool. From Thai tourism campaigns to the growing global market for premium mangoes, the fruit has become a symbol of global connection. Whether in the kitchen or the art world, in international diplomacy or cultural celebrations, the mango remains a fruit that ties us all together - a symbol of warmth, history, and endless possibility. Today, mango cultivation is extending beyond its traditional belt. With climate change, mangoes grow in places like Sicily, Málaga, and even California's deserts, where farmers employ new techniques like microchip-monitored drip irrigation. Global initiatives - from the Haiti Hope Project to UN-backed programs in Kenya and Cambodia - are empowering women farmers, reducing waste, and boosting exports. These efforts are ensuring that the world continues to fall in love with the mango, while the soul of its seasonal harvest remains intact.

Did you know?

1 Philippines' national fruit, the Carabao mango, holds the Guinness World Record for the sweetest mango.
2 Explorer David Livingstone relied on mangoes during his African expeditions. His diary notes, recovered using spectral imaging, referenced mangoes as food sources for survival.
3 The prized Alphonso mango likely got its name from Afonso de Albuquerque or other figures like Nicolau Afonso or St Alphonsus Rodriguez, reflecting Portuguese influence and Jesuit grafting efforts in Goa.
4 For the film Victoria and Abdul's premier, Vikas Khanna created a mango dessert.
5 In Bihar, planting ten mango saplings at a girl's birth helps finance her wedding (dowry), blending economic planning with symbolic reverence for daughters and nature.
6 Japan produces the world's most expensive mangoes, the Taiyo no Tamago. These are auctioned annually as prestige items. Due to rising temperatures, areas like Jeju and Gyeongnam now grow mangoes with government programmes supporting it, leading to mangoes being featured in regional cuisine as well.