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🥭 Victorian Women’s Mango Secret Revealed! You Won’t Believe How They Ate It! 😲

TL;DR: Back in the day, Victorian women had a wild way of eating mangoes—biting off the skin with their teeth! 😮 This juicy tidbit from the book Mango: A Global History by Constance L. Kirker and Mary Newman reveals how these ladies ditched the dainty manners and went full desi style. Let's peel back the layers of this fruity tale! 🍑📖

🍽️ Victorian Vibes: When Mangoes Met Manners

In the prim and proper world of Victorian England, table manners were everything. 🍽️ From using the right fork to not slurping soup, etiquette was king. But when it came to mangoes, all rules flew out the window! 🚪🍃

Victorian women, known for their strict adherence to decorum, surprised everyone with their mango-eating methods. Instead of slicing and dicing, they went straight for the peel, tearing it off with their teeth! 😲 This raw and real approach was a stark contrast to their usual refined behavior.

🎨 Artistic Appetite: Marianne North's Mango Musings

Botanical artist Marianne North, during her travels in India in the 1870s, captured the essence of mangoes in her paintings. 🎨 One of her notable works, Foliage and Flowers of the Clove, Fruit of the Mango and Hindoo God of Wisdom, showcases the mango's significance in Indian culture. Her art, now housed in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, offers a visual feast of this beloved fruit. 🌿

🧂 Chutney Chronicles: Mangoes in British Cuisine

While fresh mangoes were a treat, the British also developed a taste for preserved versions. Enter Major Grey’s Chutney—a sweet and tangy concoction believed to be created by a 19th-century British Army officer in India. 🍛 This chutney, blending mangoes with raisins, vinegar, and spices, became a staple in British meals, especially the "Ploughman’s lunch." 🧀🥖

🧠 MediaFx Take: Embracing the Messy & Authentic

This tale of Victorian women and their mango escapades is more than just a quirky anecdote. It highlights the universal love for mangoes and how cultural boundaries blur when it comes to food. 🍽️ In a world obsessed with etiquette, these women chose authenticity over appearance, savoring the mango in its purest form.

From a working-class perspective, it's a reminder that true enjoyment often lies in the unrefined, the messy, and the genuine. Let's celebrate the raw, the real, and the delicious! 🥭✊


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