The king of fruits leaves courtiers waiting

Come summer and the mango reigns supreme. Logistic companies get busy ferrying tonnes of mangoes within and outside the country.
The wholesale markets for agriculture produce get flooded with all sizes and varieties of mangoes nestled in soft beds of hay. Mango, indigenous to the Indian sub-continent, is the most extensively exploited fruit for food, juice, flavour, fragrance and colour. Forming a steady part of our summer diet, it is often referred to as a super fruit. 

India is the largest producer and exporter of mangoes in the world.  Producing some 10 million tonnes of mangoes annually, it accounts for 52 per cent of the world output. Some of the finest mangoes in the world are grown in Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Although more than a thousand varieties exist, only around 20 varieties are grown on commercial scale. Each variety has a unique taste and flavour. Among the most popular mango varieties are Banganpalli, Neelam, Sundari, Dusheri, Totapuri, Kesar and the delicious Alphonso.

Restaurants pay tribute to the king of fruits by creating mango festivals. While the unripe mango is used for chutneys and pickles, the ripe ones are often cut (the hedgehog cut being the most popular worldwide) or squeezed into a mango pulp (aam ras).

Thinly-cut layers form fruit bars or aam-papad.  In its dry preserve form morabba is made. In its liquid form, it provides a cool summer drink ‘aam panna’ or ‘mango lassi’. It is also used in smoothies, ice-creams and shorbets. Halwa, one of the popular Indian deserts, is also made of the fruit.  It is available as a snack in the form of ‘aam chaat’ and ‘aam bhel’. It is used as mango sauce and cooked into dishes like mambazha kalaan. 

Apart from being a delicious fruit, Mango also contains essential vitamins, dietary fibres and anti-oxidants. Consumption of mangoes is also believed to have helped those suffering from problems like eye disorders, prickly heat problems, diabetes, sinusitis and morning sickness. Some citations also refer to anti-cancer properties.

The low and late entry of the fruit this year has tossed many a lifestyle. Many, who had not purchased mangoes from the super market for years, have had to do that, since the produce in their private orchard was poor. The custom of gifting boxes of mangoes to friends and associates was compromised this year. Diet faders had to refrain from eating mangoes all week. The international courier companies that do brisk business of exporting mangoes have gone slow this year. Even US which is finally lifting the ban on the import of Indian mangoes had to wait a while longer.

The shortage this year and the impact reinforces the thought that few fruits enjoy this degree of widespread approval. With its varied usage and benefits, Mango has deservedly earned, and continues to retain, its title of King.

The writer is  an entrepreneur and educationist