Sweet treat: Mango days are here again
Think of summer and the sweet succulence of rich juicy flavours of mangoes comes to mind. With hundreds of varieties, mangoes last throughout our extended summer and make the scorching season bearable!
Pairi Pairi makes its appearance in posh vegetable outlets as early as in the last week of March. This is followed by Alphonso, Safeda, Chanderlekha aka Sindhuri, Tota Pari, Dussheri, Malda/Saharanpuri/Bombay Green/Bombay Yellow, Langda, Safeda Lucknow/Kuppi, Chausa, Fazli and Fazli Gola. Then there is Ram Kela which refuses to ripen and is the favourite variety for pickling. The regional specialties include Alphonso from Maharashtra, Banganapalli from Andhara Pradesh, Kesar from Gujarat, Langra from Benaras, Safeda Malihabadi among others.
Scientists believe the mangoes to have originated in the North East India-Burma region. Indeed it is a part of our cultural heritage and folklore. Mango motifs and paisleys are widely used in weaving, embroidery, mehndi and rangoli designs. Its dark green leaves are strung at the doorways at every auspicious occasion.
At the onset of spring, the melodious singing of the cuckoo among its lush foliage and fresh fragrant blossoms seem to announce the season of love. This emotion has been aptly captured in a popular Punjabi folk song of yesteryear, This king of fruits is indeed a king of mythology and literature, too. The mango is a favourite ingredient for desserts, milk shakes and many cordon bleu recipes. Raw or green mangoes are used in chutneys and aam panna.
But a ripe plump mango is best consumed as such, relishing its natural taste and flavour. The real way to enjoy a mango is to dump away the cutlery and eat it as if no one is watching you, allowing the juice to run down your wrists.
Our family owns a mango grove in our village, Qutbanpur. During the mango season, freshly picked (tree-ripened) mangoes are dipped into buckets of ice cold water and we sit around these buckets under a shady tree. The cutlery is dumped away and everyone is engrossed in digging into the mango in their hands! Young kids are stripped down to their undies and allowed to mess up. The screaming peahens give us company.
My father-in-law, who had planted and nurtured the orchard for decades, regales us with features of each variety or selection and about the fruits that have won national awards. So we literally relish the fruits of his labour. The prized selection at our orchard, including Husaniara, Begum Pasand, Hazoor Pasand, Nazuk Pasand, Annanas, Rataul, Khas-ul Khas, Gulab Khas, Gulab Jamun, Krishan Bhog, Anand Bhog, Gopal Bhog, Malika, Amarpali, Fazli, are indeed a connoisseur’s delight.
Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib’s love for mangoes is legendary and has been immortalised in many anecdotes. Sending a basket full of select mangoes to friends is a gracious gesture. The desire to be recipient of this coveted gift, has been highlighted by Akbar Allahabadi in his delightful Urdu poem,
THE REAL WAY TO ENJOY A MANGO IS TO DUMP AWAY THE CUTLERY AND EAT IT AS IF NO ONE IS WATCHING YOU, ALLOWING THE JUICE TO RUN DOWN YOUR WRISTS.