India's Alphonso mangoes are virtually impossible to find in America (2018)
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NOTE: I work with natural and organic farmers in India to try and find a market for their produce.
Believe me when I say this - naturally ripened mangoes are on a different level altogether when it comes to taste. What you get overseas is usually not naturally ripened as the amount of wastage is usually quite high with naturally ripened mangoes.
I’ll also mention Raspuri which is my favourite kind. As the name suggests it’s very juicy
The small yellow Indian mangoes that are exported also taste very different from the exported big green-red Brazilian mangoes.
So the export might have to do with it, but I think it's the type of mango that makes the difference.
I find Indian mangoes much better personally, even if exported, although when traveling in India they were even better.
Here in the US, due to industrialization, I struggle to find good fruit and vegetables in general, let alone tropical. They’re all picked too soon, travel too far, and have barely any flavor compared to home grown - and I’m in California! There’s a few specialized tropical fruit growers in Florida but it’s not even legal to ship much of that stuff here
Our house didn't have a tree, but you could take a bag and just walk around the neighborhood, because people put fresh mangoes on their fences for others to take for free before they spoiled. Naturally ripened mangoes are indeed on a different level, but they last so little before fermenting because they're very sweet.
- Rambutan (similar to lychees)
- Custard apple (haven't seen it, but I've heard it can be found)
- Vietnamese Durian (tastes like a milkshake, and I couldn't smell the stinky smell..)
- Guava (they're not very sweet but are very flavorful)
- Sapota (aka Chiku) - the best fruit milkshakes I've had were chiku shakes.
Finally, if these are hard to come by and you can't travel, make the most of your local fruits: there are some incredible apples, blackberries, red raspberries, blue berries in the US that are hard to find in other parts of the world.
Speaking of cult following, I once tried a durian that tasted rotten, so I warned my friends accordingly, one who promptly grabbed them and started smacking their lips, going "this is the good stuff". Found out it was the XO variant, which is supposed to taste like it's fermented. Who would've thunk.
Sapotas are from Mexico (Yucatan)
Custard apples are from the West Indies
Guavas are from Mexico (and are often grown in backyards even here in California)
Check out the Totapuri and Rajapuri varieties. Can be eaten ripe too, and are middling good that way. But what I came here to say is, we as kids used to eat them raw to semi-ripe, sliced into just a few large pieces, and with salt to taste, on lazy summer afternoons, while reading a book or comic. And for some reason you could eat a lot without getting a stomach upset. They had a tangy mildly sour and mildly sweet taste, that did not pall, even on eating large amounts. :)
The fame comes from the fact that it is one of the few which can stay edible for more than a few days of storage and transport, making it the only variety ever exported at scale.
Some better ones are Himsagar, Langra, Sindhri, Dasheri. Try to find these when you are traveling in India (and neighbors).
Is that true even for refrigerated transport?
Don’t know if that epiphany is worth a 4x price difference but it’s not nothing.
Pulpy, meaty and sweet. Has a distinctive taste.
Comedian Romesh Ranganathan did a bit on Alphonso mangoes and Indians, I think it streams on Netflix.
Just my opinion that the Alphonso is overrated.
Alphonsos are HUGELY over-rated and that's actually a common opinion in India.
I feel they're basically fake mangoes meant for exporting at high prices to foreigners who have no clue what a mango should actually taste like. That weird jelly-like pulp is actually repulsive if you're used to a Chausa or a Langda or so many other great mangoes.
I live in a country which fortunately gets Alphonso mangoes from India. On the few occasions I have offered it to uninitiated guests and colleagues (making sure they aren't allergic first), the reaction has been a wide eyed disbelief of how good this variety is. Of course there are other varieties that are good (Langda is a close second).
If you ever get a box at home, unless rules are set and respected, it quickly becomes a free for all and people who hate welding a knife or peeling a fruit quickly become adept at it.
It is that good.
On a separate note: we live in interesting times where I can almost have a culinary-credo like I want to try the amazing food each place has to offer. Someone needs to put a list of these things - fruits, dishes, what have you and we need a serious conversation about how some of us can sample them from far away.
Ymmv.
Edit - maybe I’m biased because Alphonsos are pricier so the palate thinks it’s getting something better much like pricey wine vs cheap wine which are basically the same but are perceived differently.
These are available through most of the Indian subcontinent, albeit sometimes with different names.
I agree that these are much better than Alphonso. Also try Himsagar and Langra!
One of the most popular varieties of Mango from southern part of India.
The strong preferences around which of the varietals is the best, is a common squabble amongst south Asians.
I try to keep the allegiance fluid, because the peak harvest of each of these varietal differs by a few weeks, and I switch camps accordingly.
Imam Pasand is expensive, and they have a 4 week peak cycle, and the demand is strong enough in the south where it is traditionally grown, that they do not make it to the Northern part of India.
Alphonso is in mid-price point, and they are now commodity-harvested, as say Chiquita Bananas. It is still a good varietal, and one cannot go wrong in buying Alphonso.
Daseri takes over when peak Alphonso tapers off around say a 6 weeks cycle.
In NYC, Mexican Mangoes - Atalufo and sub-varietals - are available aplenty.
This one person's view is that the ones grown by Chiruli farms are good, and are commonly available at Whole Foods.
"Alphonso mangoes" are not exactly staple foods, wont help with anybody's substinence, and don't need to be transported half a world away, with the climate impact this has, just so some well-off folks can satisfy their cravings.
The Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami, Florida (mentioned in the podcast episode) has been hosting a Mango Festival for nearly 30 years. https://fairchildgarden.org/events/mango-festival/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Tropical_Botanic_Gar...