CHUTNEY, ETC. 23 



■wonderful choapiipss of tho mango in Porto Rico, some of tlicise uses 

 will warrant invostigation and exi)orinient. Another consideration in 

 this regard is the fact that the commoner sorts at present growing in 

 Porto Rico are probabl}- much better suited to the above uses than 

 the milder-flavored varieties so highly prized for consumption in the 

 fresh state. 



A very delicious dish can })e made b}- simplv peeling mangoes when 

 unripe ])ut nearly full grown; slice, place in a dish, pile on sugar, and 

 bake in a slow ovon. 



CHUTNEY. 



The mango forms one of the chief ingredients of chutne3^s, concern- 

 ing which the following, copied from Bulletin No. 40, Botanical 

 Department, Jamaica, applies equally well to Porto Rico: 



Large quantities of chutney are imported into America from India, althougii it 

 could readily be supplied from Jamaica, affording employment to a number of people, 

 and utilizing mueh material which now goes to waste. 



The following recipe has been kindly forwarded by a correspondent: Three pounds 

 common mangoes (turned, but not ripe); 3 pounds tamarinds; 2 pounds raisins 

 ■ (weighed after stoning); 8 pounds brown sugar; ^ pound chilies; 2 pounds green 

 ginger; i pound garlic or H pounds onions; J^ ounce mace; 1 ounce mustard seed; 

 \ ounce cloves; i ounce pimento; i pound table salt. Soak the tamarinds in 2 quarts 

 of the best vinegar, stir them about with a wooden spoon to get the pulp off, and 

 take out the seeds and the leathery part in which they are inclosed. Cut the raisins 

 small. Peel the ginger and grate it. Pound the chilies, garlic, and mustard seed in 

 a mortar, using a little of the vinegar to moisten. Mix all together thoroughly; it is 

 then ready inr use. 



ALCOHOU. 



According to Mr. Dj^bowski," the bruised and imperfect fruit that 

 would otherwise be lost is sometimes utilized to produce by distillation 

 a fair grade of alcohol. 



MEDICINAL PROPERTIES. 



While not possessing any pronounced and universally recognized 

 medicinal properties, the mango is in India credited by the natives 

 with a great variety of virtues, and numerous medical authorities speak 

 very highly of certain of its uses. 



As stated elsewhere, the fresh ripe fruit is considered slightly laxa- 

 tive and diuretic. The rind and fiber, as well as the unripe fruit, are 

 astringent and acid. A long list of medicinal properties is given in 

 Watt's Dictionary of the Economic Products of India, among which 

 the most important and best authenticated are the following: 



The unripe fruit, peeled, cut from the stone, and dried, is considered 

 one of the best antiscorbutics, and is said to stamp out scurvy when 

 lime juice and all other available remedies fail. Prepared in this way 



« Traite Pratique de Cultures Tropicales, Paris, 1902, p. 534. 



