Latest news with #Alphonsos
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Mumbai's Mango Mania: From Mango Pizza Dhokla to aam panna gol gappa - the City's Most Inventive Mango Menus This Summer
As the mercury soars and the air turns sticky-sweet with the scent of ripe Alphonsos, Mumbai's culinary scene bursts into a full-blown mango mania. Embracing the season's golden bounty, restaurants across the city are unveiling mango-themed menus that are as inventive as they are indulgent. From refreshing beverages and tangy street-style snacks to elevated mains and dessert finales, chefs are crafting unique interpretations of the beloved fruit—paying homage to its nostalgic charm while pushing the boundaries of flavour and form. Whether it's the sharp zing of raw mango or the syrupy comfort of aamras, this year's mango menus are as eclectic as the city itself. 'For us, the mango isn't just a fruit, it's an emotion that brings families together,' says Aji Nair, CEO of Mirah Hospitality and Gourmet Solutions Pvt Ltd. Their property Khandani Rajdhani has introduced an interesting Mango Pizza Dhokla. 'Summer calls for a celebration of the King of Fruits, and it's only befitting to curate an entire menu to the sumptuous flavours of Mangoes every year,' says Nitesh Gandhi, General Manager at Opus. Noel Mendes, Director of F\&B, adds, 'Our teams challenge themselves to push the envelope with each passing year to pay homage to the familiar flavours with newer techniques, contrasting pairing and more.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo 'Mangoes are pure sunshine on a plate—ripe with nostalgia, but endlessly open to reinvention,' notes Chef Suvir Saran, Culinary Director of Neuma. 'At Neuma, we've explored mangoes not just as fruit, but as feeling... With every dish, we're celebrating summer's most iconic ingredient—boldly, beautifully, and always with heart.' Sonal Barmecha, founder of Sante Spa, shares, 'This summer, we're welcoming the madness of mango season. Every dish in this menu is designed to celebrate the fruit in its purest yet most indulgent form. We've sourced ingredients that complement the zest and sweetness of mangoes while standing out in their way. We couldn't be more excited to share this with you!' At Bayroute, the Mango Festival Menu is an opulent ode to the season. Signature cocktails like the Ratnagiri Aamras Rita bring tequila and mango together with a jalapeño edge, while the Mango Baklava Cheesecake layers phyllo, nuts, and mango compote for a decadent Middle Eastern-meets-Mumbai finale. It's mango, elevated through spice, texture, and flair. Copper Chimney continues its seasonal tradition with Aam Carnival 3.0 – The Khatta Meetha Edition. This menu brings mangoes into India's favourite street foods: think tangy aam panna-spiked Golgappas. The Achari Paronthi, loaded with mango pickle spice, embodies comfort food with a playful twist. At Amelia, desserts reign supreme. The Mango Tres Leches Royale and Golden Custard Mango Pie combine old-school indulgence with refined craftsmanship, making this menu a destination for sweet mango devotees. Sante Spa Cuisine offers a health-forward twist on mango indulgence. Highlights include the Mango Elaichi Piyush, Thai Mango Flaming Roll, and a standout Mango Menaskai curry. But the desserts steal the show: Mango & Coconut Parfait and Shahi Mango Kesar Bhaat are both guiltless and gourmet. P eshwa Pavilion, at the ITC Maratha, keeps it classic yet contemporary. Their mango menu spans crisp Raw Mango Salads, hearty mains like Mango Coconut Curry, and nostalgic Indian desserts such as Aamras and Mango Murabba, alongside modern creations like Mango Cardamom Éclairs and Mango Cream Cake. Finally, Neuma serves mango with bold international flair. Expect mango-yuzu cheesecakes, mango-green chili flatbreads, and halloumi with mango charmoula—flavours that hop continents while staying rooted in the fruit's sunny essence. From thali traditions to global gastronomy, Mumbai's kitchens are reveling in the fruit of the season. With each dish, the city captures the mango's magic—sweet, spicy, sour, and everything in between. One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
The Hindu
14-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Mangoes 2025: Tamil Nadu farmers on the season's specialities
A squirrel has scooped out a tiny hole in an Imam Pasand mango that farmer K Baskar has set aside. 'I had left the box outside just a few minutes ago!' he chuckles. Animals and birds make away with a lot of the produce at his 40-acre organic farm that borders Dindigul district. But he works his way around this, given that his farm at Andipatti in Tiruppur district also abuts the Anamalai Tiger Reserve. Baskar grows Alphonso, Imam Pasand, Neelam, and Malgova varieties on his 800 mango trees. Farm hands are harvesting the fruits from this orchard one summer afternoon using a long pole bearing a scissors-like contraption that snips the mango from the branch. It falls into a small net right beneath, and the fruit is transferred to a waiting basket below. Every mango is dealt with care — after all, Baskar waited a year for this moment. 'This year, I'm seeing only 30% of yield,' says the 48-year-old, adding that he lost over 500 kilograms of mangoes a few days ago due to an unexpected gust of heavy winds. But he is keeping his chin up, packing off mangoes to customers across India. 'Mangoes are extremely sensitive to rains,' he says, as we make our way through prickly undergrowth towards a tree laden with Alphonso mangoes. 'If there is too much rain, the fruit might not hold much sugar content.' The Alphonsos are a mix of dark and light green, with a few showing smudges of orange. The smell — a heady combination of earth and rain with sweetish undertones — is an indicator that the fruits are ready to be harvested. According to the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University's Agritech Portal, India ranks first in the world among mango producing countries. In Tamil Nadu, major mango growing districts are Dindigul, Theni, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Vellore, and Thiruvallur. Salem, known for its Gundu variety, is yet another mango hub. Farmers report that the season has been in its peak over the past 15 days in the region. According to Sathish Ramasamy, who owns 35 acres in Magudanchavadi, Salem, they initially faced issues with quality. Right now though, their fruits are in great form. Sathish, who runs the company Salemmango, sells online and has customers across India. 'I do not use chemicals since our farm is located in a rain-fed area,' he says, adding that mango farmers from near and far visit his farm to understand how it is possible to grow mangoes organically. Friends and software professionals Shyam Sembagoundar and Siva Sankar, who hail from Salem and work in the US, help Salem mango farmers find customers through their online venture Namkalam. 'We route customers directly to farmers,' explains Shyam. He adds that farmers who they work with drop off produce at the Salem market. The two of them then package the fruits to ship to people across Tamil Nadu, and offer a holistic approach to customer service complete with a refund if there are issues. The idea, Shyam explains, is to help farmers sell their produce for a good price. While mango trees are known to be hardy, climate change is making things difficult for farmers by springing up unseasonal rains. Those following organic methods find it even more challenging. But they are dealing with the problem with techniques such as biological sprays. Ajay Kuruvila, a farmer based in Dindigul, curates mangoes from organic farmers from the district, supplying to organic stores in Chennai, Coimbatore, and Madurai. Ajay explains that once the mangoes are harvested with their stalks intact, they are set upside down to let the sap flow, washed in alum, and then packed. 'This is so that the fruit does not develop black blemishes once it ripens,' he says. Apart from Sappattai, Malgova, and Imam Pasand, farmers in the region are also harvesting Karunkurangu, a large, sweet variety, according to Ajay. 'In two weeks, Mallika and Neelam will start arriving, followed by Kasalattu towards the end of the season in June,' he says. This spacing-out of varieties is Nature's way of letting us try a little bit of everything. However, climate change is shaking up this cycle as well. In Rajapalayam district, known for Sappattai, KS Jaganatha Raja, who owns 12 acres by the foothills of the Western Ghats, says that fruits have been rendered with black spots due to rains. 'This has affected their pricing at the market,' says Jaganatha. He says that some people do resort to spraying ethylene gas to ripen fruits since they are harvested ahead of time fearing rains and winds, but they do not do so. Jaganatha has revived several rare varieties of mangoes at his farm, selling saplings that he propagates through the grafting technique at his nursery. Among such varieties is Mohandas, of which he has just one tree in his orchard. Jaganatha grew excited when the lone tree bore over 2,500 fruits last year. 'I went to see it every day, thinking I will pluck the mangoes once they are mature enough,' recalls the 69-year-old. But then one night, most of them were gone. 'A herd of elephants ate them up,' he says. They had left some at the high reaches behind, that Jaganatha hoped to save. 'But they came back two days later to finish them too,' he says. 'They shook the entire tree to empty it of fruits.' As much as he is heartbroken, Jaganatha has moved on. He says, 'They were probably very hungry.'
News18
09-05-2025
- General
- News18
'Egg Of The Sun': This Rare Japanese Mango Costs More Than Diamonds
Last Updated: At Japan auctions, a single pair of Miyazaki mangoes, known as the "Egg of the Sun", can fetch an astonishing Rs 2.7 lakh (roughly $3,000). As summer's heat settles across the country, so does the seasonal craving for mangoes. But among the baskets of golden Alphonsos and Dasheris lies a rare, ruby-red jewel that has stunned both taste buds and wallets – the Miyazaki mango, widely considered the most expensive mango on Earth. Known poetically as the 'Egg of the Sun", the Miyazaki mango is a marvel of colour and craftsmanship. With its deep crimson skin and lusciously sweet flesh, this mango isn't just a fruit – it's a luxury item cultivated with meticulous care in Japan's Miyazaki Prefecture. Each fruit is pampered from the moment it begins to flower. Pollination isn't left to nature; it's done by hand. Once the fruit begins to grow, it's cradled in individual mesh nets, protecting it from pests and dust while ensuring uninterrupted sunlight for perfect ripening. This intense level of precision farming is what gives the Miyazaki mango its signature look and exceptional taste. Rich in antioxidants, dietary fibre, and natural sugars, the mango boasts a Brix score (a measure of sweetness) of 15 or more – placing it well above average mangoes in both taste and texture. The flesh is soft, buttery, and so decadently sweet that it often replaces dessert entirely. All this care comes at a price. At auctions in Japan, a single pair of Miyazaki mangoes can fetch an astonishing Rs 2.7 lakh (roughly $3,000) especially when they meet the highest quality grade and are labeled as 'Eggs of the Sun'. Their rarity and labour-intensive production process ensure that only a limited number ever reach this elite category. In 2021, Surendra Singh, a farmer from Bihar, made headlines by successfully cultivating Miyazaki mangoes on in India. After importing two saplings from Japan, Singh managed to harvest 21 mangoes in his very first season. His quiet agricultural experiment ignited widespread interest among farmers in growing high-end, exotic fruits. Although Indian-grown Miyazaki mangoes don't yet command the same prices as their Japanese counterparts, their very presence hints at a transformative shift in the country's farming landscape. First Published: May 09, 2025, 17:26 IST
Hindustan Times
03-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Best fruit forward: Check out a unique ‘mango museum' in Gujarat
There is an unusual kind of orchard in Bhalchhel village, about 3 km from the town of Sasan Gir. Beside the Hiran River, amid bee-eaters and sunbirds, rows of trees hold a confounding array of mangoes. On one, kesari aams gleam in the sunlight; on another, golden Alphonsos hang heavy. There's a banana-shaped mango here, an apple-shaped one there. Some taste like pineapples, some like lemons. Samsudin Jariya and his family call it the mango museum. A total of 300 varieties of the fruit grow on their 12-acre plot. There are mangoes from Japan and Thailand, as well as from across India. One of the newest additions is a Kohitur tree, known to bear a fruit so delicate and delicious that it was said the Nawab of Bengal once banned his people from eating it, 'reserving' all its fruit for himself. The unusual museum is itself the fruit of three generations, toiling together. Work on the plot began in 1963, when Samsudin's father, Noor Ali Jariya, a farmer with land of his own not far away, bought the land at a throwaway price, because the terrain and soil were quite unsuitable for farming. Jariya, then not yet 30 and now 89, spent years levelling the soil, readying it for his son to work on. As part of this effort, he planted a few kesar mango trees, in 1970. When Samsudin Jariya took over, in 2000, aged 35, he decided mangoes were the way to go. Profits from the farm's few trees were already trickling in. He planted more, and began to explore what else he could do on this land. It struck him then that he could turn the orchard into a tourist attraction and woo the many visitors arriving at the nearby Gir National Park. With this in mind, he built a farmhouse on the plot and opened up two rooms to tourists, so they could experience life on a real mango farm. Then came a turning point. In 2008, a friend and fellow mango farmer in Sasan Gir, Nathabhai Bhatu, introduced him to high-density orchard farming. In this method, dwarf trees pruned to heights of no more than 8 ft to 10 ft produce fruit. Where traditional farming methods allow for 50 to 70 mango trees per acre, high-density farming allows the same plot to accommodate 500. In 2021, his son Sumeet Jariya, who has a Master's degree in biotechnology, quit his job with a food-processing company in Angola and returned home. He knew his father had long been interested in diversifying the mango crop. Together, they decided to see how far they could take that plan. Working as a family, Samsudin, his wife Dilshad Jariya and their two sons, Sumeet and Anil Jariya have boosted the number of varieties to 300, and the number of trees to 3,500. The family's newest addition has been Thailand's Katimon mango, which bears fruit in March and April (like most mango trees) but also in September and October, when mangoes are determinedly off-season in India. Such varieties will boost their profits year-round, says Sumeet, 31. Three years ago, the family added the famous Japanese Miyazaki too. Expensive to grow in Japan, where this tree requires temperature-controlled greenhouses, it is easier to cultivate in India's year-round heat. While the best of these fruits are auctioned at astronomical rates in Japan, the Jariyas plan to sell their Miyazakis in hampers of two and three, priced at ₹500 or ₹1,000, when fruiting begins in another three years. The museum isn't just fun, games and rare fruit either. In times of uncertain climate — with intensifying storms, unseasonal rain and heat waves hurting every stage of mango production, from pollination to flowering and fruiting — the more varieties one can experiment with, the better, says Samsudin, now 60. 'Museums like ours can help farmers decide which varieties are suitable for their land,' Sumeet adds. 'New techniques such as high-density farming and the use of climate-smart varieties can help small-holdings farmers gain more profits from their plots.' As part of this effort, the Jariya mango museum offers courses in exotic mango farming and nursery management, and currently takes on eight to 10 undergraduate horticulture students a year, offering them on-site training and a chance to get their hands dirty. The Anil Farmhouse hotel, meanwhile, now consists of 25 rooms, with guided walks on offer for all guests. The family's next step? 'An assorted exotic-mangoes box,' says Sumeet Jariya, grinning, 'like a box of chocolates.' You'll never know what you're gonna get.
Hindustan Times
22-04-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Traders warn of fake Konkan Alphonso
NAVI MUMBAI: With the season for Alphonso mangoes having begun, traders warn of increasing incidents where the in-demand Konkan Alphonsos are being replaced with those of inferior quality from Karnataka. Customers pay higher prices for cheaper mangoes simply because they look similar. The wholesale APMC market in Vashi receives over one lakh Alphonso mango boxes daily. Of these, roughly 80,000 boxes come from Devgad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, and Raigad. The raw Konkan Alphonsos are priced at ₹1,500 to ₹3,500 per crate i.e. ₹400 to ₹800 per dozen, in the wholesale market. They are sold in the retail market at ₹1000 to ₹1800 per dozen. Marking a huge price difference from it are the Karnataka Alphonso mangoes, sold in the wholesale market for ₹60-120 per kg. Around 15,000 to 20,000 boxes daily come primarily from Karnataka, and also from Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. They are sold for ₹400-500 per dozen in the retail market. Ankush Patil, a trader, said the market mostly receives Alphonso mangoes from the Konkan area, and some from the southern states. 'With increasing demand, consumers are sometimes sold Karnataka Alphonso mangoes under the pretext of it being Konkan Alphonso, or the two are being mixed to dupe the consumers,' said Patil. 'Many illegal vendors outside the market area offer Alphonsos that are cheaper than the regular Konkan Alphonsos and people fall for them.' Vijay Bhende, another trader, urged consumers to purchase Konkan Alphonsos from sellers they have known for a long time and trust. 'Ask them for Konkan Alphonso specifically if that is what you want, making clear that you do not want the Southern one,' he said. Bhende shared that Konkan Alphonso is usually sold on a dozen basis while the Karnataka alphonso is sold on a kilogram basis. He warned that if a seller offers Alphonso mangoes at an unbelievably cheap price, it cannot be from the Konkan region. 'The economics does not work out because such prices will increase further as the supply decreases.' Balasaheb Bhende, former APMC director and fruit wholesaler, shared his tips to find the difference between the mangoes. He said Alphonsos from both regions look similar, as the seeds for the southern Alphonsos were taken from the Konkan region to be grown there. 'In fact, they look even better sometimes. The consumers can however easily make out the difference through three simple steps,' said Bhende. 'Alphonso from Konkan have a rich aroma, which is absent in those from Karnataka,' explained Bhende. 'When you cut the fruit, the Konkan Alphonso will have saffron colour while the Karnataka Alphonso will be yellow. Finally, the taste makes all the difference. The Konkan Alphonso is sweeter than the Karnataka Alphonso, which is comparatively sour.'
