Mad about Alphonso Mangoes

I adore alphonso mangoes.

I’ve loved them as long as I can remember and they come right at the top of my (very long) list of favourite foods. Some people suggest that all mangoes are equal but that’s definitely not the case. This king of mangoes has a heady perfume and sweet, intense flavour that is hard to match.

Mangoes originated on the Indian subcontinent and in my opinion, the varieties from this region are still the best.

Alphonso mangoes, known as haphoos in India, are to those fat red and green simulacrums that grace supermarket shelves all year round what the sun is to a 30 watt light bulb.

Alphonsos put those Tommy Atkin pretenders to shame and I hardly consider them to be the same fruit at all!

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Only in season for a couple of months, the alphonso is grown in Western India and also in Pakistan, where it is considered one of the best of the many mango cultivars. Indeed, the mango is the national fruit (who knew such a thing existed?!) of both countries.

Why the European name for this very Asian variety? The alphonso mango is named for Afonso De Albuquerque, a nobleman and Admiral who was the second governor of Portuguese colonial empire in India. It has been claimed that Portuguese missionaries introduced the technique of grafting to India, but historical evidence of grafting prior to Portuguese colonisation makes this unlikely; it has also been suggested that the Portuguese were instrumental in creating new cultivars, and that one such cultivar might have been the alphonso mango – it’s possible. What is likely is that they applied new colonial names to produce they ‘discovered’ and delighted in, overwriting existing local nomenclature. In any case, the alphonso cultivar grew in popularity and spread to other regions of India.

Of course, there is strong competition from other honey mangoes (the catch all name used to market Pakistani mangoes but which sometimes refers to Indian ones too). If I’m honest, I’m just as happy with a box of kesar, chaunsa, dusehri or langra mangoes as with my alphonsos! There are many more than these, but not readily available in the UK.

When I was a kid, honey mangoes were a little harder to find in the UK, though our local cash and carry and a few Asian grocers stocked them, in season. Nowadays, not only do all the Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi grocers carry them, you can also find them in many local fruit and veg shops, in Chinese supermarkets and even your regular supermarket chains.

The start of the mango season is much celebrated in India, and often makes the headlines. Prices are widely discussed, boxes are sent to family, friends and colleagues and online delivery services do a roaring trade. Mango fans gorge on their favourite fruit, buying plenty to eat at home, enjoying freshly squeezed juice from street vendors and attending mango celebration events.

In the UK, the season is more quietly anticipated though greeted with no less glee by those in the know.

For those who’ve never enjoyed an alphonso mango (or any of the sister honey mango varieties) do make sure it’s the one new treat you try this year. You will surely fall as deeply in love with them as me.

 

This was written as a guest post last year for MADD, purveyors of mango drinks and sweet treats, at Rupert Street, Soho. My favourites from their menu include the mango and passionfruit smoothie, the sticky coconut rice and fresh mango and the pistachio almond mousse cake.

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10 Comments to "Mad about Alphonso Mangoes"

  1. Mamta Gupta

    Lovely write up and pictures Kav. You have always been a bit crazy about this fruit LOL!
    Mangoes of different varieties from India (and Pakistan) have become so widely available all over the world now and are enjoyed by so many non-Indians. One result of this trade is that they have become prohibitively expensive for an average family in India, most of the good stuff being exported out. In India, they are known as ‘King of fruits and fruit of kings’! Though I like alphonsoes, to me, a north Indian, there are so many other varieties that taste much better. It is of course a matter of what you grow up eating. I hadn’t actually seen or tasted alphonsoes until I came to UK! Some of my favourites are same as Kavita, but not all. As a north Indian, most of the ones on my list are obviously from north India;
    Dussheri from lucknow
    Chausa from Uttar-Pradesh
    Langra (one legged?)
    Amarpali (probably middle India)
    Fazli
    Zarda (yellow flesh)
    Safeda (white flesh)
    Kesar (saffron)
    Rajapuri
    Badami (almond like)
    Sindhuri (vermillion coloured))
    Sucking mangoes!
    Their names often reflect their flavour or colour. My grandfather, Kavey’s great grandfather, had a huge fruit orchard at our ancestral village. He had many varieties of mangoes growing there, where we had a wonderful time in our summer holiday, eating ripe mangoes sitting on the trees :-). The story goes that he used to infuse mango stones in various flavoured liquids, like saffron/cardamom, for weeks before he planted the stones out. I am not sure how true this is or whether it worked, but we used to believe it!
    Sucking mangoes are those small, fibrous mangoes that come towards the end of season, called. Their flesh is too fibrous to slice through. You remove a bit of the stalk end at the top, put your mouth to it and suck the pulp and juice through, gently squeezing the mango all the while. Many Indians eat all mangoes like this, the traditional, old fashioned way. Try it sometimes, but remember to put a napkin around your neck!

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  2. Mr Noodles

    These are my favourite mangoes. too. Come the start of the season I get myself to Tooting to get a box. Quite endearingly, but funny at the same time, my dad brought some Alphonses down from Lancashire, as he wasn’t sure if I could get them in London.

    Reply
  3. kaveyeats

    Yes, it should be starting right now… it’s been a little late this year but my local store has said they’re expecting mangoes in this week.

    Reply
  4. rashmi

    I wanted to know is Badam and alphonso are same breed of mangoes or is it different ?

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Badami (with an “i” at the end) is another name for Alphonso, yes.

    Reply

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