Recipe: Fruity Indian Yogurt “Lassi”

Hi!  I’m Mango!

"Namaste! I'm a mango and a native of India. Did you know that the Indian people revere me! I'm a symbol of love and prosperity and have even had poems written about me! Usually, you don't expect a fruit to be a staple, but in India, they add me to every type of dish, including drinks, like lassi. So if someone shares a mango with you, not only do they want you to enjoy a delicious fruit, they also want to be your friend!"

History

• Mangoes were cultivated in India over 5,000 years ago! They are the national fruit of India, Pakistan, and the Philippines, and the mango tree is the national tree of Bangladesh.
• Mangoes have been grown in South Asia for thousands of years and reached Southeast Asia between the 5th and 4th centuries BCE. They were introduced to the world by Buddhist monks in the 5th Century BCE!
• Mango seeds made their way to other parts of the world with people from Asia around 300 or 400 CE.
• Almost half of the world's mangoes are cultivated in India, and China is the second-highest producer.
• Mangoes sold in the United States mostly come from Mexico and other Central and South American countries.
• There are over 500 hundred varieties of mangoes, and possibly 1,000! The majority of mango species exist as wild mangoes.
• In India, mangoes are considered sacred, and giving a basket of mangoes is a gesture of friendship.

Anatomy & Etymology 

• A mango tree can grow taller than 100 feet! Plus, it can give fruit for up to 50 years!
• The leaves of a mango tree start out pink, but when it matures, the leaves reach a deep, evergreen color.
• Mango fruit can take three to five months to grow and ripen, usually during summer. However, newer commercial growing methods now allow plants to flower and produce fruit year-round.
• The mango is an oblong stone fruit with thick, fibrous skin and juicy, soft flesh. Its shape inspired the paisley print!
• The word "mango" came from the Portuguese, "manga," from the Malay "mangga," and possibly from the Tamil "mankani" (MAN-kanee).

How to Pick, Buy, & Eat

• You can begin harvesting mango fruit when it has been about three to four months after the plant has stopped flowering. When the fruit starts growing, they will be dark green. The skin color will change as they ripen and begin to soften. If you see that mangoes have started to fall on the ground, it's time, and possibly past time, to start picking them.
• Mangoes taste best when they get closer to ripeness on the tree, although they are often picked when green and then ripen in the store or on the kitchen counter.
• When choosing a mango, color is less important than feel. Gently squeeze the mango, and if it gives a little, it is ready to use. Also, if there is a fruity scent at a stem end, it's most likely ripe. 
• Mangoes are usually eaten when ripe; however, unripe, green mangoes are also beloved and eaten widely in chutneys, pickles, side dishes, and even raw with salt and chili powder.
• Mangoes have natural tenderizing properties, making them a perfect ingredient for marinades. 
• Mangoes are super versatile! Try them in smoothies, salads, salsas, chutneys, cheesecake, or just plain as a tasty and refreshing snack. There's even such a thing as Mango Eggnog!

Nutrition

• Vitamin C! Mango boasts an impressive amount of vitamin C. Just one cup of raw mango contains 100 percent of our daily value! Vitamin C protects the smallest living things in the body—our cells—from harmful chemicals. It also strengthens our immune system to help keep us from getting sick and aids in our healing when we are injured or come down with a cold. 
• Folate! Mango contains 20 percent of the daily value of folate our bodies need to divide cells in half. This process helps you to grow!
• The yellow-orange pigment of a ripe mango is due to its beta-carotene content. Beta-carotene acts as an antioxidant in the body to rid extra free radicals and protect cells from oxidative stress. Beta-carotene turns into vitamin A, which protects the eyes!

How to Peel a Mango

• Mangoes are usually peeled before eating, but not always! They also have a thin, flat, oblong-shaped pit that can be challenging to remove the first time you try. The pit is the hard seed inside the mango that runs directly below the stem.
• To cut around the pit, find the stem of the mango, move the knife to one side of it, and slice down the mango lengthwise. Then, do the same thing on the other side of the stem.
• Next, to cut out the delicious mango flesh, hold one side of the mango in the palm of your hand, skin-side down. Using a sharp knife, score the flesh in one direction, then the opposite direction. Bend the mango so that the cubes you've scored "pop" up. Use your knife to carefully slice off each of these cubes close to the mango peel.
• Finally, you can either pop the cubes into your mouth, or add them to a sweet or savory dish!