Mangoes
in Indonesia: East Java has earned the reputation
of being the nation's fruit bowl. It is particularly
known for its mangoes which are now being exported if
there is an abundant yield. Mangoes, however, are very
popular fruit and this counts for the whole nation.
Topping the list of a great variety here is the famous
Mangga Arum Manis which grows very well on East Java
soil. Whole areas around Probolinggo, Pasuruan, have
been converted into mango plantations. When in season
which falls mostly in the hottest and driest period of
the year, Arum Manis is transported by trainload to
destinations scattered over the entire island of Java.
But the bulk is still going to the capital, Jakarta,
which, with a population of more than 8 million is
still the largest consumer.
Arum
Manis is a darkgreen mango even when ripe. Its flesh
is at times lemon and in another variety deep orange.
The Arum Manis flavor, however, is unmistakable in
charac ter which another mango type has not been able
to equal yet. Its sweetness borders on nectar
sometimes without a cloying after taste. There are
three popular mango varieties in this country. The
much sought after Arum Manis, Manalagi and Golek.
Manalagi is a newer mango kind also of a very sweet
flavor. It is only somewhat smaller than the two other
types. Golek is the largest mango variety whose
sweetness does not come up to par with that of Arum
Manis and Manalagi. Even so, the fruit is economically
a winner because of its fleshy contents. Although the
mango has been around for centuries in this country,
the fruit was originally from India. From tales still
alive to this day, one may safely assume that the
fruit made its entree during the Hindu period in this
country. The legend about the mango in the region of
Pasuruan was undoubtedly born in those days, a tale
persisting in the belief that the fruit is a
reincarnation of the deity P rajapati.
Improvement
in the local horticultural techniques benefited the
East Java fruit growers who saw their crop yields
growing each year. 1983 went down in the annals of the
Regional Government as a lucky year for mango export.
Most of the fruit export is destined for Singapore
which distribute it again to other places on the
globe. One of the stumbling blocks in the tropical
fruit export is packaging. Tropical fruit especially
needs careful packing since many fruit varieties spoil
and bruise easily.
Mangoes of a lesser type
are legion in the country. Some of the names are, Egg
Mango (mangga telur), Mango Indramayu, Mango Kwini,
too many to be named here. The most dominating feature
of these mangoes are that its flesh incorporates a
network of fibrous strings which are in the habit of
getting stuck in between one's teeth. These mangoes
are also quite cheaper. One type, known as Mango Kwini
in the province of North Sulawesi, and the southern
part of the province of North Sumatera spreads a
penetrating and stifling odor when it is ripe. The
kind almost always gives itself away in households who
have a few in stock. Apart from the apalling odor it
emits, Mango Kwini's flavor is actually quite pleasant
to the taste. The fruit is rather large and round of
shape. The skin is of a dirty green speckled with
black spots. The fruit grows on all islands of the
archipelago. The Egg Mango is an attractive looking
fruit. When it is ripe, the fruit turns bright orange.
The Egg Mango, so called because of its shape like an
egg, is smallish in shape. It is one of the most
reasonable priced mangoes everywhere in the land.
