mango season is here

sadhuji

With the onset of summer, the ripe, delicious mangoes make their appearance and ease out other fruits from the shelves. Identified as the national fruit, it transforms itself depending on the region where it is found in abundance. While the Fajli, Langra and Himsagar are the pride of Bengal, the Chausa and Daseri rule the roost in UP, the West coast loves their Alphonso that fetch astounding sums since they are basically for export and the Southern states have their Totapuli.

Mangoes are an integral part of our lives. Its leaves are considered auspicious and no religious ceremony is complete without the leaves. The flowers of the mango are a must in the Saraswati puja in Bengal – the youngsters chew on these and break their fast on the day of the puja. The green mangoes are used to prepare those mouth watering pickles, some slice these green mangoes, mix them with spices and dry them in the sun for storage purposes – these are later used to bring flavor to cooked dishes. The chutney made out of green mangoes liven up the lunchtime – while some prefer the thick chutney complete withy kish-mish, others simply add the green mangoes in the dal as it is boiling – the final product refreshes one during the summer heat. In the severe hot regions of UP, green mangoes are roasted, the juice extracted and mixed with water – this drink helps one to counter the adverse effect of the terrible heat waves.

At a different level, the juice of mangoes are extracted and converted into cakes better known as amsatta – its preparation used to be a favorite pastime of the old women of the family. The mango juice would be spread on a large piece of cloth and dried in the sun. Layers would be added once the previous one dries up. Gradually, in about a month’s time, the resultant inch thick cake would be ready for consumption. Today, these are machine made – obviously, the grandmother’s touch is missing.

A write-up on mangoes will be incomplete unless a mention is made of the aam sandesh – a sandesh (typical Bengali item) shaped like a mango, green in color and flavored with the essence of mango. Also, the mango ice creams that were scooped into bowls and served in road side trolleys on the move. It was a familiar sight in the Kanpur of the early sixties - wonder if they have vanished from the scene.

__________________
mooning over a moon journey

jyotirmoy

This year north India is heading towards a bumper crop. The trees around my home is laden with flowers. It is believed that bumper crop comes every alternate year.
Although we get very good mangoes here but the variety is limited to Chausa, Langra & Dusseri. I really miss the numerous & often un named varieties that I used to devour in Kolkata & later in Kharagpur.

sirensongs

yeah!
The only good thing about summer in India is...Mangoes!

Cheap, plentiful, juicy, luscious, dripping and luxurious mangoes!
Not to be had in my home country mangoes!
Like all the best fruit flavours rolled into one, mangoes!

up here in Himachal they have to be trucked in, so they will be more expensive. but worth it.

It's always a shock some time in September when you go to the market and...no more mangoes.
"Mango season finish madam."

__________________
"Why do people go to India to find themselves? India is where you go to lose yourself."
Feringhee: The India Diaries

kashi

awww... now dont remind me of mangoes

i miss kesar from saurashtra and dangs.

on a different note, is anyone passing by singapore

__________________
wahh... i want to go back
photos

Vibhu Jindal

Mango festival going on at Shivaji Park, Dadar.........nice collection of mangoes from various konkan regions....apart from that various other fruits and konkani specialities are being sold and displayed there..

John Rambow

Thanks for this article -- I was wondering why those Alphonso mangos were 120 rupees a kilo. I'll have to give them a try to see if they're worth it.

I've been making lots of mango lassis at home. So good.

saajan_20

a;phonso is the king of mangoes do not think twice about buyuin it above any other mangoes

and yaa it depends what quality u get

njoi

regards
saajan

goangoangone

Paid 150 per doz on Sunday. Don't know what they weighed. Luverly

__________________
GoanGoan......here

Tamram

I also thank you for the interesting informations. I love mangoes - the taste is for me the embodiment of tropical flavour. I am sad that I can't get fresh and mellow mangoes here in Germany.

somnath

for more Mangos:
The Aussie Mango beats the Indian Mango

__________________
Learn as if you were going to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow.

My Travel Pix...1
My Travel Pix...2
My Travel Pix...3

Beena450

nothing beats the Chausa, but I wonder if the pakistani Chausa tastes the same as the indian one?

unfortunately I usually take my summer holiday in september, so missed out on mango's when I went to Pakistan in '99 and india last year

__________________
good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pakinuttah/
http://www.getjealous.com/pakinuttah/

indira

There are a few Asien shops selling mangoes around Münich, cant remember the name of the shops though. I am in Innsbruck, and i do get fresh mangoes here from the philipines and India.

Yashodhara

Sadhuji,

I really appreciate your various posts on everyday life in India. Your observations are always both intelligent and wise and offered with a tone of melancholy which is very moving. Thank you for constantly pointing out the small, yet not so small things in life that make it all worthwhile.

anindya911

Yep! I will second Yashodhara on that.

As for me, I will vouch by the Alphanso, its fragrance more than its taste, its pure heaven. You can savour the smell, even several hours after eating it (provided you have ate it with your hands). Moreover, if you happen to buy a box full of it (called 'Petty' in local lingo), there's a whole lot of art involved to keep the mangoes in special position so that it ripes evenly, even how to pick the rightly ripe ones first, and how to cut them without minimum waste.

I learnt it from the Konkani people and boy! it did open my eyes (and mouth ) towards the world of the king of mangoes.

Anindya

__________________
Let Your mind roam ...
and the body will follow!

somari

Had a few raspuri mangoes in Bangalore when I was there on vacation last week. Boy, were they ripe and juicy !! Here in US, there are only mexican mangoes available, and they come nowhere near the Indian mangoes. These mexican mangoes don't even smell like Indian mangoes even when they are ripe!! In India, you can make out that there are mangoes in a house as soon as you enter it!!