It has been about a year and a half since we moved back from the US to Pakistan. A family of 5, 3 young children (5, 3 & 6 months), the immediate fear of moving to Pakistan with American born children and the thought of the dry summer heat was what if my 5 year old says: Ammi there are too many mosquitos (machar) in this country or how come we never have any light. I was pleasantly surprised and a little relieved when my 5 year old’s reaction when summer came was: Man, these mangoes are great. And every year after that she kept waiting for the “aam” season to arrive again and every few months we would hear a holler of: is it aam season yet! The heat and problems of the summer in Pakistan on one side and mango season on the other, the latter enveloping the prior.

Once again it is the mango fiesta season. We see streets filled with crates and piles of sweet luscious mangoes.
About the Fruit

Mango is a delicious and aromatic tropical fruit. Mango originated in Southeast Asia where it has been grown for over 4,000 years. Mango trees require hot, dry periods to set and produce a good crop. Over the years mango groves have spread to many parts of the tropical and sub-tropical world. Today there are over 1,000 different varieties of mangos throughout the world.

Health Benefits of Mango:

Not only is it delicious in taste, it is also beneficial as a fruit.

1. Mangoes contain phenols which are powerful antioxidant and contain anticancer abilities. Just one mango contains 1-3 times your recommended daily intake of Vitamin C and beta-carotene which fights  cancer. The antioxidants contained in a mango help fight Heart Diseases, Diabetes and Cancel – the three biggest killers in the western world.
2. Mango is high in iron (Pregnant women and people with anemia are advised to eat this fruit regularly).
3. Mango is effective in relieving clogged pores of the skin.
4. It is also valuable to combat acidity and poor digestion.
5. Mango is low in carbohydrates.
6. Mango is a rich source of vitamin A(beta-carotene), E and Selenium which help to protect against heart disease and other ailments.
7. Mangoes, both ripe and unripe are very good sources of vitamin C.
8. Eating mangoes in the season may provide a store of vitamin A in the liver, sufficient to last for the rest of the year and highly beneficial for the prevention of vitamin A deficient disorders like night blindness.

This article is not to make all of you sitting outside of Pakistan feel miserable that they cannot eat mango of Pakistan. The good news is that the United States is the largest importer of mangoes in the world fetching almost 45 per cent of the total mango imports.  Pakistan is considered as the second largest export of mangoes and exports to UAE, Saudi Arabia, UK, Bahrain, Singapore and some other countries.(Source: Dawn News)

So for everyone out there who is getting the real taste of mango – how can you make creative mango recipes in everyday meals? Here is a list of ideas that you can make the best of the mango season while it lasts! Of course for these recipes, canned mango pulp can always be substituted.

Mango Lassi

Mango Chutney

Mango ice cream

Mango Mousse

Mango Pudding