Mango: A Global History

by Constance L. Kirker, Mary Newman

Overview

From smoothies to folklore, a global history of the many incarnations of the mango.
 
This beautifully illustrated book takes us on a tour through the rich world of mangoes, which inspire fervent devotion across the world. In South Asia, mangoes boast a history steeped in Hindu and Buddhist mythology, even earning a mention in the Kama Sutra. Beyond myth, the authors show us that mangoes hold literary significance as a potent metaphor. While mango-flavored smoothies grace Western grocery shelves, the true essence of sweet, juicy mangoes or tangy, unripe varieties is a rarity: supermarket offerings often prioritize shelf-life over taste.
 
This book offers an accessible introduction to the world of true mango aficionados and the thousand varieties they cherish.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781789149159
Publisher:	Reaktion Books, Limited
Publication date:	10/16/2024
Series:	Edible
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Constance L. Kirker is a retired Pennsylvania State University professor of art history. An avid gardener and foodie, she has written numerous research publications on food history.


Mary Newman has taught at Ohio University and the University of Malta and is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1 Magnificent Mango: Botany, Production and Health
2 Mango Movement
3 Mughals and Mangoes
4 British and European Connections to Mango
5 Mao, Mangoes and the East
6 Sugary Sweet to Sharply Sour: Philippines, Southeast Asia, Australia and South Pacific
7 Mangoes, Metaphors and Meanings
8 Mango Miracle: Future Potential of Mangoes

Recipes
References
Select Bibliography
Websites and Associations
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index

Editorial Reviews

04/22/2024

Siblings Kirker and Newman (Coconut), a historian and a scientist, respectively, serve up an appealing introduction to a fruit they claim sparks a stronger “passion” than any other in the “culinary experience of the Western world, Europe, or Asia.” Originating in northeast India about 60 million years ago, mangos were spread through Southeast Asia by Buddhist pilgrims in the fourth century BCE, funneled into trade routes by Portuguese explorers in the 16th century, and arrived in North America with other “exotic foodstuffs” around 1750. Across that time span and beyond, the fruit has featured in literature, poems, and parables; been prized as a culinary delicacy; and sparked unlikely national crazes (after Chairman Mao gave a shipment of mangoes to workers and students “as a reward... for their revolutionary valour” during the Cultural Revolution, the fruit became a “treasured icon,” with the Communist Party manufacturing everything from mango-themed soaps to cigarettes). Today mangoes are grown in more than 100 countries, and scientists and producers are working to improve growing, packaging, and shipping methods. Kirker and Newman’s exhaustive research turns up plenty that informs and entertains (mangoes are a “hell of a fruit,” former president George W. Bush declared during a 2006 visit to India), though the sheer abundance of minutiae can sometimes sidetrack the proceedings. Still, readers with a taste for trivia will eat this up. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Kirker and Newman weave a beautiful narrative around one of South East Asia’s most prized and glorious possessions - the mango."

author of "Tiffin" and "Whose Samosa Is It Anyway? Sonal Ved

Mango-lovers contend that to enjoy this tropical fruit you have to embrace its drippy, sticky essence. The scholars Constance L. Kirker and Mary Newman embrace this perspective in Mango: A Global History, arguing that ‘the total experience of smell, touch, taste and texture is the very point of a mango’ . . . Those looking to enjoy Mango fully might be advised to treat the history like the fruit itself: Sink your teeth in and embrace the mess.”
 

The Wall Street Journal

"Kirker and Newman weave a beautiful narrative around one of South East Asia’s most prized and glorious possessions - the mango."

author of Tiffin and Whose Samosa Is It Anyway? Sonal Ved