Among the very few reasons the onset of summer is eagerly awaited by many people, even if the heat turns unbearable in Chennai — is the mango. But a smaller version of the king of fruits, which is not known for any mouth watering sweetness, the vadu manga, too comes along every summer to add spice to the life and meals of many people. This summer, the vadu manga (tender mango), has become dearer, leaving connoisseurs of vadu manga pickle, wondering if their curd and sambar rice will taste good till next summer.
Yes, vadu manga refers to both the green tender mango fruit that lands in markets from far away places like Andhra Pradesh and Thanjavur and also to the pickle that scores of women prepare with it. Preserved in earthen jars, the pickle captures the hearts of relatives and children living in faraway lands like the Silicon Valley and New York bringing them a taste of home, albeit in a jar. But will the typical neighbourhood maami, who graciously hands out a jar of pickled vadu manga, saying: “You like it? Here take this home,” be as generous hereafter? This is the doubt that cropped up as one went scouting for maavadu, as the baby mango fruit is also referred to, in the bustling vegetable markets of Mambalam and Mylapore.
For seven kg of vadu manga, a customer was seen coughing up `1,500. “Imported from Andhra ma! `140 per kilo, super taste,” justified the vendor, A Kannan, on Station Road, West Mambalam. “The demand for vadu manga is high, many housewives pick it up in kilos as they usually pickle it and store for a year or two,” he said presenting the market situation.
Sellers in the local markets of Mylapore and Mambalam said that they source the baby mangoes from Koyambedu market, where it comes in trucks from Thanjavur, Kumbakkonam and Andhra Pradesh. As Kannan said, “Vadu manga from Andhra is known for its taste and makes a good pickle that lasts for a year-and-a half. Fruits grown in places like Thanjavur and Kumbakonam are good only for eating as such.”
Sellers are also unanimous about the reasons behind the hike in price this summer. Inadequate rainfall in the regions where they are grown and a shortfall in supply to Chennai have contributed to the high rates.
Kumar said, “The price of vadu manga is currently `140 per kg which is higher by `30 than last year.” He also said that the raw fruit was being purchased in bulk quantities from the farms by pickle companies, for commercial preparation of the pickle, which now comes under the brand name of top companies, thus creating the shortage in the local market.
“In this modern age, people prefer the vadu manga pickle brought out by big brands over taking the trouble of preparing it at home,” he said. And this was further endorsed by R Kannan, who sells ready-made vadu manga pickles for `220 per kilo.
But R Vijayalakshmi, who makes and sells vadu manga pickle, said the price of the raw fruit depended on its quality, which determined the shelf life of the pickle. “The fruits that come with the stalk attached to it are ideal for pickling and taste good, while those without stalk perish fast,” she explained. “So there is a difference of `60 to 70 in the price between vadu manga fruit with stalk and without stalk.”
As the pickle makers explain, the ones with a stalk are those plucked from the trees and those without a stalk are the fruits that have fallen down and have been picked off the ground.