It's raining mangoes

Summer is synonymous with heat, sweat and soaring temperature. With the sun shining bright on us, we get a sweet, delectable and juicy reward for the endurance we show during the season in the form of a fruit. Yes, you guessed it right! It’s the king of fruits — mango.

The mango tree is one of the sacred trees of the Hindus. The parts of this fruit are used for religious and festive purposes.This fruit has many lovers who patiently wait for the peak summer to dig in their teeth into the juicy pulp and to savour its sweet
nectar.

Sundaram, an Investment Manager, appreciates mango juice as a wholesome drink. “There is a variety called Raspuri, where you just have to make a hole on the top of the mango and you can drink its juice in the purest form. I love mangoes and eat them with the skin. The fruit is fibrous and has lot of nutritional values. On some special occasions and festivals, we make mango pachadi. Mangoes are inexpensive when compared to other fruits like apple and is affordable by the common man,” he says.

“All my family members love mangoes including me. There are so many varieties in mangoes. My favourite is the Alphonso. I make a mango curry which goes well with rice. Being an exclusive fruit, there is a mad rush for it in the summer and people want to consume it as much as possible,” says Megha, a post-graduate student.

Mohammad Hassan, a wholesaler tells us that mangoes come from various parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. “Truck load of varieties come during the night and almost everything gets sold in the morning. Raspuri, Alphonso also called Badami or Aapoos, Banganapalli, Mallika, Malgova, Totapuri, Neelum, Kesar and Kalapar are some of the popular varieties. Out of these, Neelum has not yet come in the
market. Normally, mango season should start from April 25 onwards. But this year, it started on May 15. The season will last till July end,” he informs.

Shakthi, a post-graduate student, says that summers are incomplete without relishing on the juicy mangoes. “I usually consume the ripe fruit once it is cut in its basic form. It is one of the most delicious and the most fattening fruit and truly stands for being called the ‘king of fruits’. I like the Alphonso and the Banganapalli breed of mangoes.”  The pulp extracted from Alphonso mangoes paces up one’s craving for this succulent fruit. There are vendors who artificially ripen the fruit using carbide calcium which has traces of arsenic and phosphorus. This results in health hazards like headache, dizziness, mood disturbances and some serious illness. But whatever the case, it is still the perfect fruit to celebrate summer season.