Mango is the national fruit of India. About 25 million tons of mangoes are produced in India every year. Considering the popularity of mangoes in India, National Mango Day is celebrated on 22nd July every year. The purpose of National Mango Day celebration is to spread more information about the juicy fruit mango. The scientific name of mango is Mangifera Indica.
Mangoes are highly loved both raw or ripe. People love to eat it not only as a fruit but also as a pickle, chutney, shake, ice cream etc. Overall, mango is a very popular fruit. Due to the popularity of the juicy and very tasty mango, it is called the king of fruits. Mangoes are rich in vitamins A, C and D.
Mangoes have been cultivated in India for about 5,000 years. This delicious fruit is believed to have originated in India, Myanmar and the Andaman Islands. Mangoes were first grown in India in the North Eastern states. In early times, mangoes were called 'Manga' and 'Aamkaya' in South India. It is said that in the year 1498, when Portuguese traders came to Kerala, India for spice trade, they referred to mangoes as 'manga'. Gradually the word 'manga' changed to mango. With time his popularity as a mango started to increase.
Today mangoes have become a popular fruit all over the world and people give them to each other as gifts. There are more than 1,500 varieties of mango in the world. Kannapuram in Kannur district of Kerala has been declared as an indigenous mango heritage area, where 200 varieties of mangoes are grown.
Names of different varieties of mango grown in India: Kesar, Hafus, Rajapuri, Neelam, Amrapali, Vanraj, Badam, Pomegranate etc. Saffron mangoes of Talala, Gir and Kutch are very famous in Gujarat.
