Mango - history

Mangos originated in northeast India, north western Myanmar and Bangladesh. They later spread to the rest of Asia by themselves and with the help of humans. They have been cultivated, praised and revered since ancient times.

Origins

Scientists have been wondering for many years where mangos first came from. Their centre of origin was revealed to be northeast India, Myanmar and Bangladesh after fossil records were found there dating back 25 to 30 million years.

History

A coloured line engraving of mango branch with flowers fruit and leaves.
Image: Several hundreds of years ago artists and botanists observed and recorded some of the many types of mango that existed in India.

Cultivation and domestication of mangos probably began in the Indian subcontinent, where they have been grown for more than 4000 years. Buddhist monks took mango plants on voyages to Malaya and eastern Asia in the 4th and 5th centuries BC. By the tenth century AD, Persian traders had taken mango to the Middle East and East Africa. With the arrival of the Portuguese in India in the 15th century, it was later spread to South America, the Philippines and to West Africa. Mangos are now cultivated commercially throughout tropics and subtropical areas.

In the early stages of domestication, fruits were probably very small and fibrous without much flesh. The Mughals and Portuguese selected and grew generations of mango plants. Centuries of development have produced varieties of mangos free of both fibres and unpleasant flavours. This eventually led to larger fruits with thick flesh that we are familiar with today.