Mango Mania in Mangalore - King of Fruits Back in Reign
 
Brijesh Garodi
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
 
Mangalore, May 8: Come May, and the markets across the city don a shade of yellow and green. It's that time of the year when the city's, and perhaps the country's, most favourite fruit dangles in bunches from mango trees in hundreds, and everywhere the fragrance of the king of fruits reigns kitchens.

Mango is specially found everywhere in this season. Mango buds usually start growing mainly after the first rainfall. By May, markets across the city brim with the fruit, and disappear as quickly as they come!

D Mohammed Haji, a mango dealer in Old Pumpwell Road, and a resident of Kannur, Adyar, has been in this trade for almost 55 years. His father was a mango dealer earlier and after him, Haji took over the mantle. He does this business in in the mango season, and rest of the year he is a farmer by profession.

Pairi, Mundappa, Badami, Aapoos, Kalapady, Karipady, Totapuri, Neelam, Bangarballi, Kaat, Malgoa and two kerala-origin varieties - Priyur and Salan - are some of the popular varieties of mangoes found in and around Mangalore. The varities most in demand are Kalapady, Aapoos, Pairi and Mundappa.

He says that when he was young, mangoes where sold mainly in dozens and one dozen cost around Rs 10. "But now it is sold in kg and one kg costs around Rs 90. In the past, almost all the flower buds in the trees would become mangoes, but now due to variation in the weather conditions, most of the bloomed flowers are naturally destroyed and only a few flowers become mangoes," he adds.

Another speciality of Haji is that he never uses chemicals to make the mangoes ripe, but continues to follow the old and healthy tradition of using hay to ripen the fruit. One mango takes nearly eight days to ripen, he explains. He takes trees on contract basis and has them in nearly 50 places in Mangalore. He is in high demand in this business mainly because he doesn’t use chemicals which are harmful to health.

All in all, the King of Fruits is back to delight Mangaloreans. All through this month, mango shake remains the most popular thirst-quencher in juice centres, and mango ice cream the most loved of the coolers. Right from early April when raw mangoes tantalize one's tastebuds up till the end of the season, there is no doubt that this fruit of all fruits rules the roost!