Mango varieties to try and get your hands on this year
The good news is that aam ka season is back! But the not so good news is that due to lockdown, the King of Fruits may not be at your neighbourhood store just yet. And if you have been craving for the succulent fruit already, here are some of the iconic mango varieties in the country that will trigger your mango-love this season!
While you enjoy the king of fruits, here are some facts about its different varieties:
Banganapalli – Andhra Pradesh
These are large and oblong-shaped and have a smooth texture, thin skin and juicy flesh. They are mostly used in pickles, gravies and aamras.
Kesar – Gujarat
Identified by their green skin and rich fragrance, kesar mangoes are used to prepare aamras.
Alphonso or Hapus – Maharashtra
The ‘King of Mangoes’ boasts of sweet and tangy flavours. The pulp is a distinctive golden yellow in colour and is used in several desserts such as aamrakhand, aamras and lassi.
Sindhura – Tamil Nadu
This variety with extremely juicy and pulpy flesh is great for juices and milk shakes. It is also used to make jams and preservatives.
Himsagar – West Bengal
These are medium-sized greenish fruits with yellow pulp. They are used to make an array of desserts and milkshakes.
Totapuri - Karnataka
They have distinctive parrot beak shape and can be enjoyed both ways – unripe and ripe. The unripe mangoes are used in pickles, chutneys and salads. The ripe mangoes are used in juices, pulp and mango preserves.
Dussehri – Uttar Pradesh
Yellow in colour, slightly elongated and extremely sweet.
Chausa – Himachal Pradesh
Very sweet, dark orange-yellow pulp with bright yellow skin. Chausa mangoes are very fragrant and have no fibre. Available when most other varieties are over for the year.
Langda – Uttar Pradesh
Known for its distinctive aroma and taste, this mango variety is oblong shape and green even when it is ripe. Langdas have a very thin stone inside.
Malgova - Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
Sweet and juicy and packed with a lot of pulp. Malgova have round-oblique shape and a green skin with yellow specks even when ripe.
Which is your favourite mango variety? Let us know in the comments below.