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Mango-mania hit a Bahrain store this week as customers flocked to sample a taste of the fruit sensation.
The Lulu Hypermarket in Sanabis staged a 'World of Mangoes' festival displaying a range of 101 varieties of mangoes from countries including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Thailand and Yemen.
"The smell of mangoes is so good. And it brings back a sense of nostalgia, reminding us of home," said Bala Sreekumar, an Indian housewife from Hoora.
Another shopper Usha Krishnan, from Salmaniya, said: "My family loves eating mangoes. Aside from its healthy benefits it is a good fruit for the summer season and helps cool your body. God, has for sure, made this fruit especially for the summer time."
The mangoes were all arranged neatly in the fruit and vegetable section and provided an eye-candy collection of bright green, yellow and orange colours in an array of sizes.
"I have never seen so many varieties all in a single place. I'm sure you wouldn't see this anywhere else in Bahrain," said Chockalingam, a project engineer from Gudaibya.
Aside from the fruit, the festival also featured a range of pickles, sauces, salads, drinks, curries and desserts.
Vicky Cacayan, a marketing official from Manama, is a great fan of the fruit. She said: "The golden ones are so attractive and it's really good for the body - a mango a day definitely keeps a doctor away!"
The store's regional director, Juzer Rupawala, described the festival as a way to celebrate great taste and the good life.
"Besides the taste, the mango is closely associated with the image and happy memories of home for many expatriates on the island," he explained. "Thanks to better fruit transportation and food processing techniques, we are able to bring together many different varieties under one roof and also experiment with different ways of enjoying the fruit."
Mangoes, known as the king of fruits, belong to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae.
Cultivated in many tropical regions, mango has a special significance in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and the Philippines.
The fruit flesh of a ripe mango is very sweet, with a unique taste. The texture of the flesh varies markedly between different cultivars, some having a soft, pulpy texture similar to an over-ripe plum, while others having firmer flesh like a cantaloupe or avocado. In some cultivars, the flesh has a fibrous texture. Mangoes are juicy with a sweet taste and high water content making them refreshing to eat.
The festival runs until June 14.
