I am delightfully enlightened to read Roland Francis's information about the origin of the Mango, my favorite fruit.I had heard that Potatoes and Cashews came from the Americas. I am not an authority on this. But RolandFrancis makes a convincing argument about the origin of the Mango. Mangoes are so widely grown all over the world, including Africa, and Australia, with versions that are totally different from the mangoes we get in Goa, that one might have competing claims to their origin. In Adolfo's part of Africa, I remember with great fondness the " Ëmbe Dodo " and "Ëmbe Mauzo" mangoes that my childhood friend and playmate Professor Adolfo Mascarenhas is still enjoying. By the way, I heard that the mangoes in East Africa was brought there by the Arabs, who ventured into the hinterland, and dropped seeds along the way after consuming the fruit. But Adolfo is an authority on this. In Goa, unfortunately, unless one is blessed with having a mango tree in his own garden,the mangoes available in the Market somehow do not taste so good. They are often plucked prematurely, and sometimes ripened through artificial (chemical) means, leaving them with a lackluster taste. Lets hear more about my fvorite fruit !
