MALDA, WEST BENGAL
Himsagar and Gulabkhas are the two varieties from West Bengal that are known outside of the state. They are opposites of each other. Himsagar has a very sweet and strong, turpentine taste that’s not for everyone, especially not those allergic to mango sap. It is one of India’s most unique-tasting mangoes. Gulabkhas is a smaller, more refined mango with a thin, red-coloured skin and delicate flesh. West Bengal has numerous wonderful mango varieties not known outside the region. This includes Kishanbhog and Maldah. To enjoy these, you have to travel north of Kolkata, all the way through Murshidabad to the mango powerhouse of Malda district. It produces the last mango of the season, the large and cumbersome Fazli.
TRY: The Bengal Mango Utsav, a three-day festival held at Kolkata’s New Town Mela Festival around early June every year, usually boasts of 400 mango varieties.