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THE MAN-GOA CONNECTION!

B y A d i t i M a l h o t r a S t o c k I m a g e s

Mangoes & Goa have a deep connection and you can understand this connection only when you live here. Before moving to Goa, ‘Dusehri’ mango used to be my favourite and we used to wait eagerly for it to bless us with its presence somewhere in the month of June. But the past 5 years of living in Goa, have changed my preferences. Mankurda is most certainly my favourite now. But you know what’ s the real connection with mangoes in Goa all about. The connection comes from watching them grow, picking them, plucking them, and relishing them straight from your own backyard.

All my life, we always bought mangoes from the shopkeepers, and markets and ate, the idea of having a mango tree or watching mangoes grow was nowhere near. For us, it was a general perception that the farmers grew the mangoes and then sold them in markets, from where we then bought them. But ever since we moved to Goa, mangoes became a story, emotion, and connection. We were blessed with houses that had mango trees. The fun of hearing mangoes fall at night and instantly running outdoors to pick them up before the ants attacked or sometimes holding long sticks to make them fall on the ground is unmatched. From making mango pickles and aam panna with raw mangoes to the creamy milkshakes with the sweeter varieties, the whole experience of relishing mangos changed for me after moving to Goa. For any Goan, Mankurad means

"Mango. " But when I came to Goa, I was completely unaware of the name. That’ s when I learnt that the state of Goa is home to almost a hundred other varieties of mangoes, some of which are unique to Goa. And as I started living here, I fell in love with not just the mangos it produces but the whole culture that surrounds it. But did you know, prior to the arrival of the Portuguese, mangoes were not very popular in Goa, despite being grown throughout India for nearly 4000 years? With Vasco Da Gama ' s discovery of the sea route to India in 1498 and Afonso de Albuquerque ' s invasion and conquest of Goa in 1519, Goa became a center of Portuguese colonial activities in the Orient.

In Goa, mango saplings were imported and planted at a profit due to the high demand for mangoes in Europe. Apparently, Goa had the right climate and soil conditions to cultivate mango trees. And thus began the love affair between Goans and mangoes. Indian Council of Agricultural ResearchCentral Coastal Agricultural Research Institue is apparently working on the idea of making the Mankurad mangoes available all through the year. They are looking at techniques to preserve the fruit without compromising its taste and quality. Coming back to Mankurad, its synonymous with the best mangos in Goa and it' s often the first one to hit the market. It’ s priced very high for the first few days and then slowly the price starts dropping. I was almost shocked to see it priced as high as 1000/- Rs for just about 6-7 pieces when it first came in the market, and now it has gone to Rs 200 for a dozen. A mankurad is distinguished by its dotted skin and orange-red blush on the shoulders and a part of the cheek. When put close to the cut end of the fruit stalk, the aroma of mankurad mangoes is almost irresistible. The mature fruits of the Malges or Malgueso mango ripen around the same time as those of the Mankurad and are mostly used for preparing mango chutney or sweet pickles. It has a very distinct aroma and flavour too. Alphonso is another very popular variety of mangoes found in Goa. Around mid-April, the Xavier mango makes its presence felt in the market with its own shape, flavour, and colour. It is still relatively unknown in the market.

The Manga Hilario or Mangilar is arguably the best mango variety of Goa. The pulp is a buttery yellow to ivory in colour, and the peel has a saffron-coloured cut edge. Although it’ s one of the best varieties, not many people get to savour its deliciousness because it ripens during the monsoons when fruit flies are in abundance and thus most of the fruit gets infested. There are many other lesser-known varieties of mangos too which include Fernandina, Colaco, Culas, Afonso and Monserrate. Making most of the Mango season, some hotels and restaurants introduce special mango based items on their menu. Desserts being the obvious choice, now menus also see the use of mango in appetizers, main course and cocktails as well. At many places you would find raw mango replacing raw papaya in a refreshing season based salad. Mango Mojitos become the in thing and of course how can you not think of a mango cheesecake as dessert in the season time. One of the Mall recently hosted a Mango Festival where one could not just buy different varieties of mangoes but also learn more about them. Special sessions on Mango Grafting were also held. A mango thali amongst other mango related food items was also available for mango lovers to indulge in. One could also buy saplings and enjoy some folklore while discovering the world of mangos.

I personally happened to enjoy Mango Mania at the Goa Baking Company at Marriott Goa Resort & Spa, where their pastry chef Kalyan Banerjee along with the Executive Chef Dibyendu Roy went out of the way to bring mango desserts on to the table. A wide array of cakes, pastries, donuts, dessert jars, smoothies, milk shakes and much more is available as the GBC for you to devour. One of the best parts about the entire experience is that none of the desserts or cakes have additional sugar, they are purely made with the natural flavours and sugar present in the fruit. Thus the sweetness you get is totally as per the natural sweetness of the mangoes used. Mango ginger chocolate slice and Citrus Sensation with Pista Dacquise are the chef' s personal recommendations. For me, the mango freezer cake was simply out of this world. But when it comes to enjoying mango in its original form, I am still hooked to the Mankurad and keep trying some other varieties every now and then. What about you, how many varieties of mangoes in Goa have you tried, and which one is your favourite?