THE mango is the national fruit of India, Pakistan and the Philippines, and is the national tree of Bangladesh.
Native to India, the mango is relevant to Indian culture in many ways. According to Wikipedia, the Online Encyclopedia, the Jain Goddess, Ambika, is traditionally represented as sitting under a mango tree.

In Hinduism, the perfectly ripe mango is often held by Lord Ganesha as a symbol of attainment in regard to the devotee’s potential perfection. Mango blossoms are also used in the worship of the Goddess, Saraswati.
The fruit is used as celebratory food on special occasions as well. No Ugadi (Telugu New Year’s Day) passes without eating pacchadi made with mango pieces as one of the ingredients.
In Tamil Brahmin homes, mango is an ingredient in making vadai paruppu on Sri Rama Navami Day (Lord Ram’s Birth Day), and is also used in preparation of pachchadi on Tamil New Year’s Day.
Mango has become part of the art and décor of India. Mango leaves decorate archways and doors in Indian houses during weddings and celebrations like Ganesh Chaturthi. Mango motifs and paisleys are widely used in different Indian embroidery styles, and are found in Kashmiri shawls and Kanchipuram silk sarees, among other garments.
The famous Urdu poet, Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, was very fond of mangoes. There are many anecdotes concerning his love for mangoes.
Rabindranath Tagore was also fond of mangoes, and has written many poems about its flowers: Aamer monjori. Poet, Sa’d Bin Ard has also written some poems about mangoes.

Cuisine

Mangoes are widely used in Indian cuisine, and whether green or ripe, are a very good tenderizing agent because of enzymes they contain; therefore, mangoes are ideal to include in any marinade.
In India, Amchur, a sour mango powder containing ground-up green mangoes, is used both as a seasoning and as a tenderizing aid.
Sour, unripe mangoes are used in chutneys, athanus and pickles, or as side dishes, or may be eaten raw, with salt and pepper or soy sauce.
A cooling beverage called ‘panna’ comes from mangoes. ‘Mango lassi’, a popular drink made throughout South Asia, is created by mixing ripe mangoes or mango pulp with buttermilk and sugar.
Though in Guyana we mostly use green ones, some sources say ripe mangoes are also used in the preparation of curry dishes.
‘Aamras’ is a popular pulp or thick juice made from mangoes, with the option of adding sugar and/or milk. It is consumed with bread, rice or puris. The pulp of ripe mangoes is also used to make a jam called ‘mangada’.
‘Andhra Aavakaaya’ is a very famous pickle made from raw, unripe, pulpy, sour mango mixed with chili powder, fenugreek seeds, mustard powder, salt and groundnut oil.
Gujaratis use mango to make chunda (a grated mango delicacy). Mangoes are used in preserves such as moramba, and in pickles, including a spicy mustard-oil pickle made with alcohol.
Unripe mangoes may be eaten with bagoong fish sauce (especially in the Philippines), or with a dash of salt. Dried strips of sweet, ripe mango (sometimes combined with seedless tamarind to form mangorind) are also popular.
Mangoes are used to make juices, smoothies, ice cream, fruit bars, and sweet chili sauce, or are mixed with chamoy, a sweet and spicy chili paste. Mango is popular being placed on a stick and dipped in hot chili powder and salt, or as a main ingredient in fresh-fruit combinations.
Pieces of mango can be mashed and used as a topping on ice cream, or be blended with milk and ice as milkshakes. Sweet glutinous rice is flavoured with coconut, then served with sliced mango as a dessert.
In parts of Southeast Asia, mangoes are pickled with fish sauce and rice vinegar. Green mangoes can be used in mango salads with fish sauce and dried shrimp, and mango with condensed milk may be used as a topping for shaved ice.
Ripe mangoes are often cut into thin layers, desiccated, folded, and then cut again. These bars are similar to dried guava fruit bars, which are available in some countries. The fruit is also added to cereal products, such as muesli and oat granola.

Mango facts

Do you know the mango is known as the ‘King of Fruit’ throughout the world?  Well, I didn’t either. Here are some other cool facts from FreshMangos.com.
Mangoes originated in East India, Burma and the Andaman Islands bordering the Bay of Bengal. Around the 5th Century B.C., Buddhist monks are believed to have introduced the mango to Malaysia and eastern Asia. Legend has it that Buddha found tranquility and repose in a mango grove.
Persian traders took the mango into the Middle East and Africa, from where the Portuguese brought it to Brazil and the West Indies. Mango cultivars arrived in Florida in the 1830s, and in California in the 1880s.
The mango tree plays a sacred role in India; it is a symbol of love, and some believe that the mango tree can grant a person’s wishes. The name ‘mango’ is derived from the Tamil word ‘mangkay’ or ‘man-gay’. When the Portuguese traders settled in Western India, they adopted the name as ‘manga.
In the Hindu culture, hanging fresh mango leaves outside the front door during Ponggol (Hindu New Year) and Deepavali is considered a blessing to the house. Mango leaves are used at weddings to ensure the couple bears many children (though it is only the birth of the male child that is celebrated – again by hanging mango leaves outside the house).
Hindus may also brush their teeth with mango twigs on holy days (Be sure to rinse well and spit if you try this at home; it is toxic!).
Many Southeast Asian kings and nobles had their own mango groves, with private cultivars being sources of great pride and social standing; hence began the custom of sending gifts of the choicest mangoes.
Mangos are bursting with protective nutrients. The vitamin content depends upon the variety and maturity of the fruit. When the mango is green, the amount of Vitamin C is higher; as it ripens, the amount of beta carotene (Vitamin A) increases.
There are over 20 million metric tonnes of mangoes grown throughout the tropical and sub-tropical world. The leading mango producer is India, but very little is exported, as most are consumed within the country. Mexico and China compete for second place, followed by Pakistan and Indonesia. Thailand, Nigeria, Brazil, The Philippines and Haiti follow in that order.
The more than 1,000 known mango cultivars are derived from two strains of mango seed: Mono-embryonic (single embryo) and poly-embryonic (multiple embryos).
Mono-embryonic mangoes hail from the Indian (original) strain of mango, and the poly-embryonics from the Indochinese.