Is Mango the king of fruits ?!!!

India is the largest producer of Mangoes (Magnifera Indica) in the world, the name Mango originated from Tamil ‘Mangkay’. Some thousand varieties of Mangoes grow in this region, the fruit is considered king of all fruits. It is believed that from India Mangoes reached Europe through traders, much earlier Buddhist monks were responsible for its spread in Asia, later Arab traders took it to gulf and other places. Ancient Indians believed Mango tree can grant wishes, even now some parts of India during auspicious occasions like Deepavali and pongal (in Tamil Nadu) they hang Mango leaves at the entrance. Various dishes (like for instance manga pulliseri- the one I expertise in!!) and puddings are made from this fruit. Pickles, papdis, murabbas, chutney, amchur, panna… the list is long. (Unripe mangoes are used in fish curry in travancore region, it give that characteristic taste).

The famous breed of Mango is Alphonso (or hapoos)- they sell that in boxes even in malls nowadays, it has been gifted to head of other countries as diplomatic gesture. Apart from popular varieties like Kesar, Dashehari, Mulgoa, Chausa, Langra….there is Himsagar, Kishen Bhog, Mankurad, , Neelum, Suvarnarekha, Vanraj, Bangalora, Banganpalli, Bombai, Bombay Green, Fajli, Fernnadin, Zardalu. Hybrid Varieties are Amarapali, Mallika, Arka Aruna, Arka Puneet, Arka Anmol, Arka Neelkiran, Ratna, Sindhuri, Au Rumani, Manjeera, sugar baby. Other hybrid varieties released are Alfazali, Sundar Langra, Sabri, Jawahar, Neelphonso, Neeleshan, Neeleshwari and so on…..now those are some serious names!!. During mango season (April-May) mango exhibitions are held with varieties of mangoes in display (few weeks back I went for organic mango festival!!). I recall when kids we used to run when mango fell from tree, the one who reaches first gets it, unlike coconut mango fall with light thud (obviously!!).

So is it mango the king of all fruits?.

Well….hmm…well this blogger is not really impressed despite its credentials. My vote goes to Jackfruit (kathal in hindi, chakka in Malayalam) this fruit is really underrated. Dr.O.W. Barrett (an agriculturist credited with many books on these subjects) wrote in 1928: "The jaks . . . are such large and interesting fruits and the trees so well-behaved that it is difficult to explain the general lack of knowledge concerning them.". There is mention of jackfruit in Varamahira’s Samhita (6^th century). This blogger gives this humble fruit top marks not only for its taste but also smell -nobody can miss it even from few meters, it is sweet combination of pineapple and banana!!. It is one fruit I am crazy about, so much so one tends to overeat. Jackfruit is also purely Indian tracing its origin to Western Ghats (the name jackfruit traces its origin to Portuguese jaca which in turn derived from Malayalam chakka). The fruit is quite a recluse with spiny exterior and sticky interior, it is like the fruit is asking “you don’t want to mess with me do you?”. Truly cutting jackfruit is a messy affair. One has to smear oil in hands before venturing otherwise regret it for next few hours, the glue doesn’t go even with washing!!. There are two types of jackfruit as I know kooza and varika chakka, the later is favored as the fruit is of high quality. The Kooza are softer and fibrous and very messy. It is difficult to tell whether the Jackfruit is kooza or varika before cutting (the variation of these names are found in Thailand and Srilanka, even Jamaica). Like mango many varieties of jackfruit are now found the 'Singapore', or 'Ceylon' jack was introduced in India in 1940s. In 1961, the Horticultural Research Institute at Saharanpur, India, reported the acquisition of air-layered plants of the excellent varieties, 'Safeda', 'Khaja', 'Bhusila', 'Bhadaiyan' (gr8 name that one!!) and 'Handia' and others. The Fruit Experimental Station at Burliar, established a collection of 54 jackfruit clones from all producing countries, and ultimately selected 'T Nagar Jack' as the best in quality and yield (In Assam, nurserymen have given names such as 'Mammoth', 'Everbearer', and 'Rose-scented' to preferred types). This blogger has a liking for jackfruit as well as tapioca chips (hate potato chips). In South Karnataka coastal region I happen to taste Jackfruit idlis!!!(as also ela adas). I am big fan of Chakkakuru mezhkuperatti (jackfruit seeds).

Ludovico Di Varthema an Italian traveler who came to kerala in 1503 had this to say about Jackfruit “I found in Calicut a kind of fruit which is called Ciccar (jackfruit). Its stem is like that of a large pear tree…this fruit is gathered in the month of December, and when it is eaten it seems as if you are eating musk melons, and it appears to resemble a very ripe Persian quince. It appears also as though you are eating a preparation of honey, and it also has the taste of a sweet orange. Within the said fruit….there is another fruit which, if placed on the embers of a fire and then eaten, you would say that they are the most excellent chestnut. So that this appears to me the best and most excellent fruit I ever ate”. Our man had something to say about mangoes too “another fruit is also found here…this manga (mangoes) is made like one of our walnuts in the month of August, and has that form; and when it is ripe it is yellow and shining. This fruit has a stone within like a dry almond, and is much better than the Damascus plim…”

Long live Jackfruit !!!