There are two
things that most South Asians have an experience to share- Cricket and Mangoes.
Both cricket and mangoes invoke a feeling of nationalism and sub-nationalism in
South Asia.
Mangoes , unlike
cricket, is a native of South Asia or
erstwhile undivided India. For thousands of years we have produced more than
50% of World’s total Mango production and more than 60% of Mango Varieties
globally.
Now with more than 100 varieties around, the big debate has always been – Which Variety is the Best?
In Maharashtra,
Alphonso is the favourite. At Karachi, Anwar Ratol is rated the best. In some
parts of Bihar, Dudhiya is the best while Mithilanchal prides itself in its own
variety of Malda. For states like Orrisa
and West Bengal, Langda is the best while Uttar Pradesh loves their Dasehri.
All these famous
varieties of different regions; Malda of
Mithila, Dudhiya of Bihar, Langda of Bengal and Anwar Ratol of Pakistan, belong
to the same clan of mangoes. In other words, it is the same mango with a
different name. Thus, in the World’s Den of mangoes, it is one variety that
dominates the roost. One reason for
Malda’s dominance lies in its unique fragrance and fertile black soil which
makes Malda Sweeter.
As history has
it, the Malda AAM was taken to different parts of India by Maurya dynasty and
later to countries like Thailand and Malaysia by King Ashoka. With time, Malda
with cosmetic changes and in the long debate of which Mango is the best has
assumed different names.
While we leave
the debate open on which variety is the best, at imithila, we strongly agree
that Mango is undisputedly the king of fruits and which variety you like the
most depends on your childhood experience and taste buds. Undoubtedly Mango as
the National Fruit of India should not be in any controversy.
imithila.com engages in promoting and selling the original form of Mithila / Madhubani paintings on clothes and handmade paper. For taking these auspicious paintings home, log on to www.imithila.com. If you want to share more details about this tradition, please write to us at business@imithila.com.
