Star-BulletinALLERGIES
In 1965, Shari Coleman, a publicist at Fawcett-McDermott, ate half a mango. She thought it tasted good.Within five minutes, though, her face began to swell and she began to scream. By the time she had been carried down nine flights of stairs to a dermatologist's office, she was gasping for breath as her throat began to close up on her. She was lapsing in and out of consciousness due to shock.
It was severe anaphylactic shock due to acute sensitivity to mangoes, quickly treated with an adrenaline injection to control her blood pressure and an antihistamine to combat the swelling. Coleman spent a night at Queen's Hospital -- and was rewarded with a headache that felt like she'd been on a bender for a week.
So far as is known, no one has died from eating mangoes, although many have suffered reactions ranging from a mild tingling to hives. Asthma patients can also be allergic to mangoes.
The allergy reagents are contained in oils in the sap, present in the skin and leaves. Technically, a peeled fruit should be OK as long as the skin oils are washed off. The oils can also be transmitted second hand, say, through the fur of a pet that brushed against a mango tree.
Those who are allergic to mainland unpleasants such as poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac should give mangoes a wide berth, and the other way 'round as well.
To treat a rash, use Calamine lotion, mild soap and cool salt-water soaks until the itching goes away. Leave the rash exposed to the air.
Mangoes aren't the only fruits that spur allergic reactions. The most common, in fact, is the humble orange, and strawberries and watermelon aren't far behind.
Burl Burlingame, Star-Bulletin VARIETIES
The two major types of mangoes grown in Hawaii are Haden (not Hayden) and Pirie."They're the standard, and have been since the 1930s," said Warren Yee, now retired from the college of Tropical Agriculture at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and whose 20-year-old monograph on the subject is still the standard reference.
The mild-flavored Haden originated in 1910 with a Capt. John Haden in Florida, who imported the seeds from India. The Haden came to Hawaii in 1930 and became the major type cultivated here. "It's a beautiful orange-red and it's good-sized," said Yee.
The Pirie has a spicy taste and was brought to Hawaii by S.M. Damon in 1899, who planted it in Moanalua Gardens. "It's a pale lemon-green color, and not as big as the Haden," said Yee.
Mangoes, Mangifera indica, are of the cashew family, Anacardiaceae, first farmed more than 4,000 years ago in India and Malaysia. They were "discovered" by European explorers in the 1700s, who enthusiastically transplanted them around the world.
The name comes from the Tamil "man-gay," which Portuguese settlers in India shortened to "manga."
The first mango tree seems to have been planted in Hawaii in the early 1800s, and since then, hundreds of species have been imported. In one guide alone, Marie C. Neal's "In Gardens of Hawaii," more than 500 varieties of mangoes are recognized.
These include the Mapulehu, or Joe Welch, named for the minister who cultivated them on Maui, which look like a fat, orange-yellow Pirie.
The Chinese is long and yellowish-white. "No one plants these anymore, but you can still find them in older yards," said Yee.
The Hawaiian, or Manini, is orange and long. "You'll see these on big trees along the freeway, or in older neighborhoods like Palama Settlement," said Yee. "These are the kind that used to be sold in the streets of Lahaina."
More names: White Pirie, Common, Waianae Beauty, Gouveia, Philippine, Shibata, Zill, Ka Lei Momi, Pope, Julie, Carabao, Sandersha, Ah Ping, Alphonse, Cambediana, Kent, Ono, Edwards, Fairchild, Georgiana, Smith, Paris, Momi K., Harders, Keitt, Rapoza, Manzanilla and the interestingly named R6T6.
That first mango tree in Hawaii was still standing in 1911 in downtown Honolulu, when it was cut down by the city. It was reportedly 80 feet high, with a 15-foot circumference, and had a spread of more than 100 feet.
Burl Burlingame, Star-Bulletin
I'm HUNGRY already;
let's EAT!
