Last news

FOOD

What a mango a day does in Kenya

The sweet properties of one of this land's typical fruits

28-08-2022 by Leni Frau

So sweet, so good, with its different varieties and at the equator, like the apple, it can keep some doctors (or at best a herbalist healer...) off your back, especially for treating asthma, balancing blood pressure and fighting stress.
The mango (scientific name Mangifera indica) is a tropical plant belonging to the Anacardiaceae family.
Originally from India, it was also spread to Africa and Latin America by the Portuguese.
Mango trees are long-lived and large; they can live to be 300 years old and far exceed 30 m in height. The mango is an evergreen.
The fruit is ovoid, its flesh is yellow/orange, compact, very fragrant and tasty.
Its skin can take on different shades depending on the species: green, yellow, red or a mix of these colours.
The mango consists of approximately 82 % water, 1 % protein, carbohydrates, 1.6 % dietary fibre, 12.6 % sugars and 0.2 % fat.
The sugars are divided into fructose, glucose and sucrose, while the colour of the mango is mainly due to the abundance of beta-carotene, which accounts for most of the carotenoids.
These minerals include calcium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese and zinc.
There is a fair amount of vitamins, in particular vitamin A, whose daily requirement of our body would be satisfied by the consumption of a whole mango.
In addition to vitamin A, we find vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, vitamin K, C and E. Amino acids are also well represented, the most abundant being arginine, lysine, aspartic acid, leucine and serine.
Due to its high content of trace elements, the mango is a fruit with mild laxative and diuretic properties; it is therefore a very suitable food for those with constipation and water retention problems.
Mangoes can also be used to treat coughs and colds by boiling their peel in water and drinking it warm three times a day for a week. The peel is rich in phytonutrients, antioxidants, carotenoids and polyphenols.
Thanks to the properties of the substances it contains, the mango is also an excellent restorative in cases of convalescence or periods of great physical stress.
The presence of vitamin A and flavonoids such as beta-carotene benefits the eyesight and skin while potassium, which is present in good quantities, is an important component of cells and body fluids and contributes to the control of heart rate and blood pressure.
There are several studies suggesting that increased consumption of plant foods such as mango can reduce obesity and the risks of developing asthma.
Its caloric value is low, in fact, every hundred grams of pulp has a calorie yield of 53 kilocalories.
Unripe mangoes are often used cooked to make chutneys (a spicy, thick vegetable sauce), pickles and various side dishes; ripe and raw mangoes are excellent with chilli or soy sauce. 
The preserved unripe mango can be found dried and pulverised, as well as in jars (in oil, vinegar, spirit). Mangoes are widely used in the production of fruit juices, nectars, flavourings, ice creams and sorbets.
There are many types of mango in the world. In India alone, there are more than 400. Even in Kenya there are several, the easiest to find on market stalls being five.
Ngowe - harvest November - March
This is the mango par excellence, the one commonly found at the market or in every fruit shop. Sweet and juicy.
This quality is the oldest cultivated on the coast, imported from Zanzibar.
Apple mango ( apple mango ) - harvest season from December to early March
It originates on the Kenyan coast, more precisely around the Malindi area. The fruits are medium to large, almost round in shape, and the skin is red. Particularly sweet and juicy 
Boribo - harvest season January and February
Tree cultivated exclusively in the Malindi area. The fruit is somewhat smaller than the other varieties, pale olive green in colour. The flesh is juicy and has a strong, intense mango flavour.
Batawi and Dodo are the other two varieties from Kenya and in particular from the Malindi-Kilifi area. 

TAGS: mangofruttifruttaprodotti

Chutney is a typical sweet-and-sour British sauce made with fruit or green tomatoes. It is excellent as a sauce for flavouring meat and fish foods.
The British took her to Kenya during colonialism and tried the variants with exotic fruit. Here...

READ ALL THE RECIPE

Another mouthwatering recipe from the portal of Italians in Kenya. Today we present the...

READ THE RECIPE

On the African shores of the Indian Ocean, the combination of fish with fruit has always been...

In Kenya, that fish and fruit do not go well together has remained a belief of Italian holidaymakers à...

READ THE ARTICLE

If life in Kenya is sweet, part of the credit goes to the fruit, and the mango is certainly one of...

READ THE ARTICLE

Kenya's Swahili cuisine, as we know, is a mixture of the cultures and peoples that have landed on the coast, and the products of the territory they have learned to use. The example is provided by the use of coconut...

READ ALL THE RECIPE

OUR RECIPES

Sea, fruit, vegetables and... Kenyan creativity

by Freddie del Curatolo

Thanks to the incredible ‘raw material’ that a diverse and fertile land like Kenya can offer, local...

READ THE RECIPE

by redazione

by redazione

The Ministry of Trade and Industry of Kenya has decided to close all shops selling retail products or materials...

READ ALL THE ARTICLE

There are oases in the world where an Italian finds his or her belonging, and does so in the...

READ AND SEE PICTURES

by redazione