Mango takes the cake: How king of fruits continues to reign over hearts and palates

It tastes like the Indian summer and feels like nostalgia. Mango, at least for Indians, is much more than a fruit, it's an emotion.

- MANIK GUPTA

Yet, its true power, with over "1,400 varieties" across the world, lies in its unrivalled versatility.

Because, according to experts, from street snacks to gourmet dishes, the mango doesn't just fit in it reinvents itself, season after season, all while holding its own and its crown as the undisputed king of fruits.

Not for nothing, every year without a miss, it is raining mango festivals in the town, celebrating the beloved fruit in all its glorious forms a privilege reserved for only the rarest of fruits.

Chef Naresh Kotwal, head chef at Ikk Panjab, describes it best when he calls mango a "bridge between nostalgia and innovation".

"It's like that one guest who blends in effortlessly, no matter the gathering. Its dual nature sweet and lush when ripe, tart and punchy when raw gives it a wide canvas to play on," said Kotwal, who recently curated "Dawat-e-Aam", a celebration of mango's many moods.

The festival explored the fruit's versatility through desi innovations ranging from 'Aam Kasundi Paneer Tikka' and 'Aam aur Aloo ki Tikki' to 'Raw Mango Kachumber' and 'Mango Lachha Salad, capturing flavours that were sweet, tangy, spicy, and even smoky.

The love for this stone fruit in India can quite literally be measured in millions of tonnes.

According to "Mango: A Global History" by Constance L Kirker and Mary Newman, which cites data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, India produced nearly half of the world's mangoes over 24 million tonnes in 2020 alone.

Despite this staggering output, the book notes that only around 1,73,000 tonnes were exported, with nearly 30 percent headed to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.