Hyderablog

Mango Walk

Spend any amount of time in India, and you're bound to understand pretty quickly the undeniable importance of The Mango. While it's true that in the deep south in Kerala, for instance, it's the coconut that's king, without question on the national level it's the mango that emerges as the favorite national fruit. For me on the other hand, growing up in the eastern U.S., mangoes always had an exotic, "what do I do with this?" sort of feeling to them. "What is it...a papaya?... How do I peel it?... It's so messy", etc. And not to mention the fact that they're impossibly expensive, now somewhere around $1 to $2 apiece I believe. It all hardly seems worth it, especially when you contemplate the fibrous, potatoey specimens they pass off as mangoes in many of the local markets.

(These days, you can place an online order for Indian mangoes through DHL's Mango Express service, though I'm not sure delivery is available in the U.S.)

Here in Hyderabad, and indeed throughout India, MANGOES = SUMMER, which runs roughly from April to mid-June. In these steamy but oddly blessed months, one encounters mangos in all shapes, sizes and flavors, each sweeter and juicier than the next. And of course, they're prepared and consumed in a multitude of ways - mango juice, mango curry, mango salsa, mango ice cream, dried mango, mango jelly, to name but a few. Without question, though, the fruit is best when enjoyed fresh, uncooked and just a bit chilled - slice it, cut it into chunks, scoop it out with a spoon, or for God's sake if you're really desperate just take hold of the large stone in the center, and then suck off what remains of the flesh until the juice starts dripping down the length of your forearm!

In the summer months, the mangoes (in a good year) are so abundant that they literally drop from the trees, spill off the fruit carts, practically calling out to be gobbled up. Indeed, one of the rewards for sticking it out through a summer in India (with temps. exceeding 100 F quite frequently) is the joy of stuffing oneself full of cheap, delicious, fresh mango every day. By mid-June, when the monsoon arrives and the heat finally abates, the mango supply sadly and without sufficient notice dwindles, and there's not a good one to be had for another 9 or 10 months.

To be frank, this entry was inspired by the latest mango product to which I've been exposed here....Kellogg's Mango Corn Flakes! Usha brought this into the house the other day, and Maya was quite game to be the guinea pig / taster. I must say they're not bad, if a bit strange. In fact, they do have a distinct mango flavor, but on the downside they leave tend to leave behind an orange-colored milk in the cereal bowl! Since we're still about six months away from the next mango season, I suppose this must suffice.....can't wait until next summer!

One of my favorite mango songs: http://www.audiosparx.com/sa/play/play.cfm/sound_iid.159880 (hit the Preview Play button)

posted by David @ 9:13 AM