Is Alphonso the most tasty mango?

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Is Mallika the sweetest? Or is it Kalapadi? Well, how can you miss out on the ‘Sugar Baby’ or ‘Sakkarakkatti’? But the present scenario is that Alphonso has left them all behind. In addition,  Banganapally, Malgova and Badami are also in the race.  Well, a battle of taste is indeed on at Kanakakkunnu. Why not walk into the National Mango Fest currently on here and find for yourself which one tastes the best? Not just mango lovers, anybody who drops in at the pavilion would end up at least tasting the samples which the stalls happily provide to one and all. “Mallika and Kalapadi taste superb. But, alas, everybody feels Alphonso is the best,” rues a farmer from Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu, who has arrived with loads of Neelam, Sakkarakkatti, Kalapadi and Banganapally varieties. According to the farmers from Karnataka, Mallika is the best. “It has got divine taste. The skin of this variety has to be peeled off just as you would peel the skin of banana,” says a farmer from Karnataka. Of  the Karnataka varieties like Mallika, Sakkarakatti, Malgova, Badami, Sendura (Sindoor), Benisha etc, Mallika and Badami are the costly ones, they are priced at Rs 80 per kg. They all come with the tag ‘naturally ripened’. “Six of us have come here and we belong to the same taluk. All the varieties have been naturally ripened,” says a representative of the Sri Bhuvaneshwari Nisarga Farm of Srinivasapura Taluk in Kolar district of Karnataka.  ‘Sakkarakkatti’, as the name suggests, is absolutely sweet. “Sugar Baby has got a splendid taste. But we would say Kalapadi tastes even better,” says a farmer from Krishnagiri. Both varieties are priced at Rs 50 per kg.  The lone North Indian presence at the fest is Dashehari, grown more in states like Uttar Pradesh and its neighbours. It is one of the most popular mango varieties of North India, acclaimed for taste and pleasant aroma. “Of all the varieties we have, super ‘aam to dasehari hi hain’!,” a labourer declares. It is priced at Rs 90 per kg.  It would be gross injustice if you forget to taste our own varieties like Panchavarnam and Kotturkkonam. “Taste a piece and buy only if you find it is sweet,” a labourer from Kollam was heard saying to a customer.  The fest will conclude on June 26. You can also buy saplings and products made out of mango. Timing is 10 am to 9 pm.