Mouth - Watering Mangoes🤤

When I think of summer, my mind is immediately filled with thoughts of my grandparents’ house, blazing sun, burning hot temperatures, refreshing drinks, ice creams and last but not the least – mangoes.

I’ve been eating mangoes for as long as I can remember. The sheer excitement of eating the first mango of the summer is unparalleled. I love mangoes in all forms- cubed, aamras (mango pulp), aambapoli (dehydrated mango pulp), mango ice cream, mango kulfi, mango milkshake and kairi panha (raw mango juice). In short – mango, in all its forms is a divine and delectable fruit.

This fruit from the cashew family has its roots in South Asia, having been cultivated there from thousands of years, before reaching Southeast Asia, and finally reaching South America, where it continues to grow.

There are many varieties of mangoes. In India alone, there are around 1500 varieties of mangoes, with 1000 varieties being cultivated commercially.  Every state has its own variety.

·        The King of mangoes- the big and fleshy alphonso or haapus is cultivated in Maharashtra.

·        The long and slim totapuri, with a sligltly sweet, slightly tangy taste is widely grown in Karnataka

·        The banganpalli, which is named so because of its resemblance to a parrot’s beak, is grown in Andhra Pradesh. It has a sharp and stimulating taste.

·        The sweet and fragrant dasheri is native to Uttar Pradesh

·        The Queen of mangoes, the sweet and oblong kesar - one of the most sought-after variety in the world, is native to Gujarat

Being a native Maharashtrian, I grew up eating Ratnagiri Alphonso mangoes, locally known as Ratnagiri Haapus. In Maharashtra, mangoes are sold by the dozen in a wooden or a carton box, known as peti. Each peti has around one to six dozen mangoes.

 When you sink your teeth into a piece of a Ratnagiri haapus, you are immediately met with a hint of sweet taste and juices flowing out from where you bite into the mango. When you completely scrape the flesh from the peel and take it into your mouth, you feel a burst of the mango-ey taste – sweet, warm, tropical and floral. With every bite, the flavours dance on your tongue, and when you finally swallow the bite, there’s only one thought on your mind – I just came back from heaven.😌

 

 

No matter what the variety, mango is such a fruit that will tantalise your taste buds, leaving you wanting, no – yearning for more, such is the beauty of mangoes. And what makes it even more appealing is that this fruit is not available year long, you’ll find it just during the summer months. I guess the year long wait has something to do with it, after all, ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder’ – and taste buds too!😁 However, bloated your stomach feels, when you hear that mangoes are being served, let’s just say that our stomach somehow becomes more “accommodating”. Truly, it is the king of fruits!

Now if this post has given you a sudden craving for mangoes, then my sincere apologies. Don't worry, I'm craving them too😜 

Until next time, toodles!

Signing off,

Akshata😉