This blog was so on my mind that when my favourite blogger Seema wrote about it; I had to get down and write about it.
I LOVE mangoes! And so does BB. And so does both our families. And by mangoes I mean 'The Alphonso.' Now in BB's house the mango season is a sight to be witnessed. My MIL buys crates of Alphonso mangoes at whole sale rates and religiously cuts mangoes every night for the family. If we happen to be visiting, we are treated to never ending plates of cut up mangoes and mango shakes. (yeah she is nice that way!) This time too was no different. So this time we ordered 2 dozens of Alphonsoes too. They disappeared rather quickly. The nearby fruit sellers don't stock the good variety and we did not have time to go to the whole-sale market place. So while picking up our weekly quota of fruit, I happened to check out this 'other mango'. I have dutifully turned my nose at every other kind for so many years, except for the 'rasa aam'. This one you have to squeeze before you bite open the area surrounding the stalk. The squeezing ensures breakdown of the pulp so that all you need to do is suck out the mango goodness when you remove the stalk. So back to my topic, I wrinkled my nose at this 'other mango' and the fruit seller insisted I try it. 'Langda bhabi' he insisted.
Me: huh?
FS: try karo bhabhi, pasand nahi aaya to full paisa wapas.
It was a dare!
Me: Theek hai. Ek dozen dena
I walked back home smug -thinking of the look on his face when I returned the mangoes. Yes I have done that before. The weird thing about the Langda is the skin is always green no matter how ripe the mango gets. It is a very non-mango trait. Post dinner BB cut and peeled the mangoes dutifully. This is one useful skill that he has picked up from his family. I had the first bite cautiously only to be hit with a wave of flavour and sweetness. It had an underlying taste of camphor which I did not much favour but the taste sort of grew on me. I recollected eating it as a child in Chennai. All in all I loved it!
I think I will try all the varieties of mango this season just to make sure I have enough backup when the Alphonso backs out on me.
I LOVE mangoes! And so does BB. And so does both our families. And by mangoes I mean 'The Alphonso.' Now in BB's house the mango season is a sight to be witnessed. My MIL buys crates of Alphonso mangoes at whole sale rates and religiously cuts mangoes every night for the family. If we happen to be visiting, we are treated to never ending plates of cut up mangoes and mango shakes. (yeah she is nice that way!) This time too was no different. So this time we ordered 2 dozens of Alphonsoes too. They disappeared rather quickly. The nearby fruit sellers don't stock the good variety and we did not have time to go to the whole-sale market place. So while picking up our weekly quota of fruit, I happened to check out this 'other mango'. I have dutifully turned my nose at every other kind for so many years, except for the 'rasa aam'. This one you have to squeeze before you bite open the area surrounding the stalk. The squeezing ensures breakdown of the pulp so that all you need to do is suck out the mango goodness when you remove the stalk. So back to my topic, I wrinkled my nose at this 'other mango' and the fruit seller insisted I try it. 'Langda bhabi' he insisted.
Me: huh?
FS: try karo bhabhi, pasand nahi aaya to full paisa wapas.
It was a dare!
Me: Theek hai. Ek dozen dena
I walked back home smug -thinking of the look on his face when I returned the mangoes. Yes I have done that before. The weird thing about the Langda is the skin is always green no matter how ripe the mango gets. It is a very non-mango trait. Post dinner BB cut and peeled the mangoes dutifully. This is one useful skill that he has picked up from his family. I had the first bite cautiously only to be hit with a wave of flavour and sweetness. It had an underlying taste of camphor which I did not much favour but the taste sort of grew on me. I recollected eating it as a child in Chennai. All in all I loved it!
I think I will try all the varieties of mango this season just to make sure I have enough backup when the Alphonso backs out on me.
Langda mangoes apparently appear just after the first rains. So it is good for people who suffer withdrawal symptoms from not getting enough Alphonsoes :)
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