SPECIAL REPORT Summer in India for foodies is synonymous with the mango season. In our country, each state boasts of different varieties of mangoes, all hailed as delicacies. Some are meant to be eaten ripe, while others are best eaten when they're green and raw.
While this season starts as early as the last weeks of March, it is only around the last week of April that the many varieties make their entry in the fruit bazaars across the country. This season lasts up to the end of June. In certain areas, it lasts up to the first week of August.
From mangoes that are as small as ping pong balls to large ones that weigh as much as two to three kilograms each, each one of them is a gourmet's treat. And with these different mangoes come some of the famed dishes, all prepared as seasonal delicacies.
Be it the aam ras or mango shrikand in the western states that is usually teamed up with puris or the avakkai pickles, mango thokku and mango rice made in south India, the range of special dishes in the vast Indian cuisine is aplenty. These many sweet, savoury and spicy treats in the regional cuisines use mangoes as the core ingredient both in its ripe and raw forms.
Add to this the many bakeries and pattisseries that have mushroomed across the metros who make cheesecakes and other desserts centred around mangoes, referred as the 'king of fruits', and you have enough options to keep that sweet tooth satiated. But, one must admit that nothing beats that feeling of biting through a freshly cut mango.
We take you on a gastronomic journey across the various states in the country to check out the various mangoes available.
Neelam
- Region: Karnataka and kerala
- Price: `50 per kg
- USP: Known as one of the varieties of mangoes that hits the market in the fag end of the season, this fruit, which juicy variety is usually found in abundance in June.
- Region: Delhi and Uttar Pradesh
- Price: `100 per kg
- USP: Named because it resembles the holy vermillion, this is very good for shakes, as the pulp has a good yellow colour. This variant is sweet, and yet has a slight tanginess to it.
- Region: Kerala
- Price: `60 per kg
- USP: This is a popular variant found in Kerala, which isn't really eaten ripe. It is known among the foodies for its rather distinct tangy taste. It is also used for various dishes in Kerala.
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- Region: Delhi
- Price: `120-150 per kg
- USP: This is a variant of the langda variety and is quite commonly found in north India, especially Delhi. It is completely non fibrous, making it a good pick for chutneys. It is sweet-sour in flavour.
- Region: Goa and Gujarat
- Price: `120 per kg
- USP: This is one of the varieties of mangoes to hit the market early in the season. Known to be fibrous and juicy, it is one of the most popular choices for the popular aam ras in the western states of India.
- Region: Kerala
- Price: ` 260 per kg
- USP: Known to be one of the most popular varieties of mangoes in Kerala, it is also the most expensive one to be found in the state. It is used in the traditional households for making mambazha pulissery.
- Region: Maharashtra
- Price: `400 per Dozen
- USP: The most popular variety of mango in India, which is also big on export, it is popularly known as hafoos or hapoos. The best variation of alphonso mangoes are those from Ratnagiri, Maharashtra.
- Region: Delhi and Uttar Pradesh
- Price: `50 per kg
- USP: This variant of mangoes originally from Varanasi is lemon yellow in colour, and you can get this variety all year long in most parts of north India, especially Delhi.
-Delhi is known to have an annual mango fair, where there are varieties named by horticulturists after popular actresses like Aishwarya
-Mango has lent its inspiration to a motif that adorns Indian garments like the silk saris
-First mangoes of the season usually fetch nearly a million dollars in Australia and United States
Totapuri
- Region: All across India
- Price: `50 per kg
- USP: Known by various names like totapuri, totapari, kilimuku and ginimoothi, this is probably the first variant to hit the market in the mango season. It is best eaten raw, with tempered seasoning.
- Region: Kerala
- Price: `50 per kg
- USP: Another popular variety of mango from Kerala, this one has a characteristically large seed. This dull green variant is surprisingly sweet to taste and is found throughout the season.
Summers is when mangoes are also used as thirst quenchers. Here are some of the most popular ones in India:
Aam panna: This drink made with raw mangoes is a favourite in many households.
Mango lassi: The popular Punjabi drink gets the mango twist this season.
Mangotinis: The bars too have their say, using fresh mangoes for martinis.
Banganapalli
- Region: Andhra Pradesh
- Price: `80 per kg
- USP: One of the most popular variants of mangoes to originate from Andhra Pradesh, this juicy fruit is also very popular in the neighbouring south Indian states.
- Region: Karnataka
- Price: `100 per kg
- USP: This is also known popularly as Karnataka alphonso, because the texture and taste is quite similar to that. It is grown widely in north Karnataka and is best eaten around May.
- Region: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, kerala and Andhra pradesh
- Price: `80 per kg
- USP: While north India boasts of Sindhoori, which is similarly named because of its deep reddish tinge, this one has a different taste and texture. Known to be more fibrous and juicy, this variety of mango hits the stores quite early in the season — around April.
- Region: Uttar Pradesh
- Price: `100 per kg
- USP: As the name suggest the mango is reddish in appearance, and is known for its rosy flavor and aroma. It is a mid-season mango having non-fibrous pulp and very popular for making mango-based desserts too.
- Region: Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka
- Price: `60 per kg
- USP: Also known as Rasapuri in Karnataka, this is most commonly used to make juices and pulp. While it offers juicy flesh, it also is known to be very fibrous.
- Region: Andhra Pradesh
- Price: `80 per kg
- USP: Also known as Imam Pasand, these mangoes are quite sweet are mainly found in Andhra Pradesh. This variety is especially tasty after mid-May.
- Region: Kerala
- Price: `80 per kg
- USP: This is known to be one of the 'premium' variety of mangoes in Kerala and is often exported to its neighbouring south Indian states.
- Region: Uttar Pradesh
- Price: `80 per kg
- USP: The name literally means 'sucker'. The variety when ripe turns yellowish in color and it has its origin from Sandila near Hardoi. The variety is known for its exquisite aroma and fleshy pulp.
- Region: Kerala
- Price: `55 per kg
- USP: This hybrid variant of mango is known distinctly to be found in Kerala. It is known to grow in clusters and has a sweet-and-sour taste to it.
- Region: Uttar Pradesh
- Price: `80 per kg
- USP: It gets its name from the Dashehari village near Mallihabad where the 200-year-old mother tree of variety still lives. It has a green peel but with yellow sweet pulp.
- Region: South and Western India
- Price: `80 per kg
- USP: Also known as Kesari in south Indian states, this fruit is named so because of its saffron skin tone. It is juicy and is also a very popular choice with chefs and homemakers because it does not have much fibrous flesh inside.
- Region: Uttar Pradesh
- Price: `60 per kg
- USP: It is another commercially cultivated of mango from UP seeking its origin from Lucknow. The variety is white in colour when raw but takes yellowish tinge when ripe and is known for its juicy pulp.
- Region: Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
- Price: `80 per kg
- USP: Also pronounced as Malgova in Karnataka, this variant is known to be one of the biggest to be found in India. A fully ripe fruit of this variety could easily weigh up to two or three kilograms.
- Region: Kerala
- Price: `40 per kg
- USP: This variant is found in Kerala throughout the mango season. Most of the foodies prefer to have the moovandan mangoes when its nearly-ripe with salt and spices.
- Region: Karnataka
- Price: `50 per kg
- USP: Mallika is a late season mango and it is usually found in the markets around the last weeks of May and in June. This variant is very popular for making fruit juices and pulps.
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