National Fruit of India: Check here details of National Fruit

National Fruit of India

Mango (Mangifera indica) is the national fruit of India. Mangoes are irregular-shaped fruit that is greenish-yellow in colour and are most abundant during the rainy season and summer. Not only edible but raw mangoes are used to make various household edible products like pickles and curry. Speaking from a scientific point of view, Mango or Mangifera Indica is a flowering species that belongs to the Anacardiaceae family.

Classification of Mangifera Indica

Kingdom	Plantae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta
Division	Magnoliophyta
Class	Magnoliopsida
Subclass	Rosidae
Order	Sapindales
Family	Anacardiaceae
Genus	Mangifera
Species	Mangifera Indica

History of Mango

Mangifera indica is believed to have originated from Southeast Asia particularly in the region of India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. Not only India but Mango (Mangifera Indica) is the national fruit of Pakistan, the Philippines, and the national tree of Bangladesh. It is domesticated separately and differently in Southeast Asia and South Asia due to which there are now two different varieties of Mangoes.

Mango has been cultivated in India a long time ago. It is also mentioned in various texts and literature by various writers and poets of India, It is also called “King of Fruits”. According to our history Akbar, the great emperor of the Mughal Empire has been known to plant more than 10000 mango trees in Lakhi Bagh in Darbhanga, Bihar. In Delhi, a Mango International Festival is celebrated during the month of July.

Nutritional Value of Mangifera Indica

Mango or Mangifera Indica has a great nutritional value and is rich in a number of nutrients among which Vitamin A and Vitamin C are most abundant. Vitamin A is good for the eye and skin while Vitamin C is good for the eyes, hair and boosts up our immune system. Apart from those, it contains potassium and Vitamin B-6 in little quantities. Various nutrients present in Mangifera Indica are listed below:

Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Vitamin B-6
Copper
Folate
Antioxidant

Apart from a nutritional constituent, Mangifera Indica has various nutritional benefits some of which are listed below:

Improve Digestion: Mango consumption has been shown to be related to digestion improvement in our body. The reason for this can be the presence of various antioxidants and high fibre content in Mango.
Weight Control: Various studies have shown that different phytochemicals present in Mango help to Suppress fat-related genes and thus fat cells. Other studies have also shown that Mangifera Indica inhibits the formation of fat tissue in our bodies.
Reduces the chances and growth of cancer cells in our body: Various studies have shown that various nutrients present in Mango help to fight cancer cells in our body and decrease the chances of occurrence of any type of cancer in our body.

Other uses of Mango

Apart from being an edible fruit, the Mango tree has various other uses some of which are listed below:

Mango Wood: The wood of the Mango Tree is used in making low-quality furniture and other household wooden-made products. It is also used to make musical instruments such as Ukuleles.
Leather: The tannin obtained from the bark of the mango tree has various applications in the leather industry.

Cultivation of Mango

India is the largest producer of mangoes in the world with almost half the total production of the mangoes in the country of which only a small portion is exported outside the country and the remaining is consumed within India. Around more than 200 varieties of mangoes are cultivated in India among which the most common ones are Langrah, Chausa, Dassheri, Himsagar, Kesar, Banganapalli, Fazli, Neelum.