Mango Mood

I have always been fascinated about writing about food or a raw material. There is this guy called Vikram Doctor who writes about food on ET and i am a regular reader of most of his vegetarian (:P) posts. Looking outside my train window now, i see water droplets from the slight drizzle. I realize that the the summer season is almost drawing to a close. And along with it the mango season. Hence my post as a tribute to the queen (i like it that way! ) of fruits- MANGO.

In my two odd decades of existence in the world, I have not come across one person who doesn't like mangoes. The adults go nuts about the fruit as much as the kids do. This is perhaps because it is the fruit that we used to eat during summer vacations, most probably at the native place where grandma would let you eat some more despite the strict warning from mother.

The whole color, texture and taste of the fruit are out of the world. Sometimes, a whiff of the fruit when you pass through the fruit stalls itself is sufficient to make you lust after it. The round and perfect Alphonso mangoes may be expensive, but a box of those would be the best gift to give anybody, any day. If you do not want to spend that kind of money on fruit, you can settle for the Mallika, Banganapalli or the Sinduri mangoes. If you like the tangy raw fruit, then the totapuri must be on your list of must-haves’. With a smattering of salt and chilly, it is an ideal snack to munch on. And how can I forget the Raspuri mangoes meant for milk shake or juice? The yellow colored drink may not be the perfect way to beat the heat but is definitely perfect for your taste buds. Forget your daily calorie count for a day and try the aamras and poori combination. It will be dil maange more after that.

People in Bangalore must visit Lalbagh to get a glimpse of the multifarious varieties of the fruit during the Mango Mela. It’s hard for me to imagine how people don't go crazy at the sight of so many mangoes! And repeating the advice i have heard over the years- after you’ve ODed on the mangoes, drink up a cup of milk to counter the heat it causes.

The season might have almost come and gone in a flash, but there is still the ubiquitous mango pickle to keep company for longer. Tender mango in brine, avakai, shredded mango, cut mango, a sweet version- there are probably umpteen lip-smacking variations in pickles. For those with a sweeter tooth, there is the mango pulp preserve also. Keep it all through the year and savor mangoes until the next season arrives. If you are a candy person, you will recollect days at school when mango bite, mango mood, kachcha aam candies were a big hit. They still are. As a bonus for the kids, there is also the mango ice cream in almost all popular brands.

If you still want to get the asli mango ka maza, then there is the Slice or Maaza option, supposedly. It might look tempting after seeing one Ms.Kaif drinking it on TV, but it’s still not the real thing. So until next year's season, I'll settle for eating other fruits which simply pale in comparison to the Mango. And also secretly hope that the seed/stone that i planted, of the yummiest mango from this summer, goes on to grow into a BIG tree which will give equally tasty fruits. That’s the stuff my recent dreams are made of!