MAD ABOUT INDIAN MANGOES

Taste these seven varieties here before the season is over

- Vanitha Maniarasu

One cannot have a tropical summer without mangoes.

As Singapore's temperatures soar, seasonal summer fruits have popped up in wet markets.

While the ever-popular Nam Dok Mai mangoes from Thailand are available here all year round, Indian mangoes are a seasonal delight from late April to early August.

There are several varieties of Indian mangoes, prized for being fleshier, sweeter and bigger than the Nam Dok Mai, which is smaller and mildly sweet.

However, they also cost up to three times more than their Thai counterparts up to $15 a kg for popular varieties such as the Alphonso, Kesar and Banganapalli. Meanwhile, a Nam Dok Mai mango is sometimes priced as low as 50 cents a fruit in the later part of the day.

One reason for the high price for Indian mangoes is the logistics involved in shipping the fragile cargo. It takes more than a week for the mangoes to travel from the orchards in India to supermarket shelves in Singapore.

Other factors affect the quality of the fruit, such as their ripeness when harvested, the presence of pests when they are transported, and the temperature they are stored in, as hot and humid environments cause them to ripen too quickly.

Shipping may also bruise the fruits and affect their marketability.

In Singapore, the best place to track down Indian mangoes is, naturally, Little India.

Veera Fresh Mart and Ponni Indian Groceries in Buffalo Road are two popular Indian stores that carry the most varieties.

Indian mangoes can also be found for a few dollars cheaper in stores along Campbell Lane and Clive Street. Mustafa, Cold Storage and wet markets also sell some varieties.

If you are bewildered by all the varieties available, here are seven you can taste-test in Singapore - be it in a salad, as salsa or just a juicy snack - before the yellow fleshy season ends in August.

KESAR Price: $12 to $15 a kg