CHENNAI: The only good thing about the staggering 40-degree temperatures in summer is the abundance of the mambazham or ripe mangoes.
Banganapalli, malkova, killimooku, alphonsa — there are over 1,000 uncharted varieties of mangoes in India and they can be consumed in as many ways — juice, milkshakes, ice creams, or just plain cut, chewed and gulped! Chennai gets most of its mangoes from farms in Salem, Tiruchy and Erode and also Aarambakkam on the TN-Andhra border. Within the city, Madhavaram has a few thoppus where you can go mango-picking. Enjoy the summer with this bright yellow juicy fruit!
From Maanga Thoppu To Market
Mango seeds are planted during the rainy season, when the earth is cool. For optimal growth, it is essential to cut a small branch from a mature tree, attach it to the young growing plant, tie a wet cloth around it and water it. This grafting of mango trees is the most reliable and economical method of mango propagation. This is mainly done for species like Banganapalli and Killimooku, species that are known for their taste. If grafting is not done, the new tree will only produce Kaarumanga, which can be made into pickle.
It takes five years for a mango tree to provide good fruit. Mango seeds, once planted, will grow to a height of four feet within 6 months, but will not be allowed to bear fruit for the next five years; the flowers are removed whenever they blossom. This is done to allow the tree to gain strength until it can bear the weight of many fruits.Less than 1% of the flowers will mature to form a fruit. It takes approximately four months for the mangoes to mature before they’re ready for harvest.
Once harvested, the fruits are immersed head first in sand until the milky secretion from the fruits dissipates and the fruit becomes shinier. They are transported to the market while still raw, to avoid damage from transportation. Blanketing the fruits in vaikol for three days will make them ripe and yellow, ready for sale.
Anti-Water Tendency
Mangoes love the heat more than water. When flowers start blossoming, watering is avoided lest the flowers fall. As daily maintenance, watering once a week is enough. It is also said that the Aadikaatru does not bode well with mangoes — they start developing worms. Flowers start blossoming in January, after the monsoons in India.
Mango Season
March to August is the official mango season, the period in which mangoes grow. Different species of mangoes have their own season. The flowers that don’t mature in this season develop later during September to January but are less tasty. Known as Kaarumaanga, they are used for pickles.
Did You Know?
■ In Tamil Nadu, the mango is referred to as one of the three royal fruits, along with banana and jackfruit, for their sweetness and flavour. This triad of fruits is referred to as ma-pala-vazhai.
■ In Tamil mythology, the mango fruit or gnana-pazham (fruit of wisdom), appears as the point of contention when Lord Muruga loses the fruit to his brother Ganesha and leaves Mount Kailash for another place called Pazham nee by Lord Shiva and Paravathi to appease him. It means, ‘you are the fruit of wisdom yourself’. This is now Palani, the holy place for Hindus.
How To Select Mangoes
■ Red does not mean ripe
■ Squeeze gently to judge ripeness. A ripe mango will “give” slightly and a firm mango will ripen at room temperature over a few days.
■ To speed up ripening, place mangoes in a paper bag at room temperature. Once ripe, mangoes can be moved to the refrigerator to slow down ripening for several days