ON THE TRAIL OF THE Alphonso

The sunshine-yellow mangoes with juicy saffron flesh are one of the most anticipated aspects of summer in India

- Piyali Sen

SEVERAL SUMMERS BACK, I HAD hired a car from Mumbai, hitting the road to Ratnagiri and Devgad, on the trail of the famed Alphonso mango. If you go by local lore, there are mangoes, and then there is the Alphonso. Or, as it is locally known, the hapus. Loyalists swear by its rich, creamy smoothness (without a hint of fibre) and subtle notes of sweetness. It is a deep orange, almost saffron colour and tastes phenomenal.

During its brief season in the Indian summer, the obsession around the Alphonso is at par with Bollywood and cricket. Mothers send petis (cartons) to married daughters' homes to sweeten up the in-laws. Hot afternoons are punctuated by cries of "haaapuuus" floating through open windows. Markets seem to take on the bright red and yellow hue of piled-up Alphonso mangoes. Restaurants serve every kind of dish, as the mango's smooth flesh and honeyed flavour lends itself to a variety of sweet and savoury dishes and drinks. People go into overdrive making things that help preserve their precious Alphonso stock for the rest of the year-ambapoli/aam papad (mango fruit leather); amboli (sweet dried mango used in curries); aam ras; aamrakhand (mango shrikhand), and more.

The mango season in India stretches from April to July, and of the more than 1,000 varieties that hit the markets, the much-coveted Alphonso is king. The ones most in demand are those from Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, and adjoining areas in Maharashtra. They are considered to be the best and acquired a GI tag in October 2018.

Everyone Loves the King