Summer Special 2019: Alphonso or Dasheri, Here’s How You Can Identify Different Mango Varieties

It’s summertime and the markets are filled with various fruits and vegetables to choose from. From watermelon to mangoes, summer is the best time for you to relish fruits. And when it’s all about summer and fruits, one cannot help but think of mango: the king of all summer fruits. As we think of different ways to beat the summer heat, mangoes of all kinds are making their way into the markets.

While Alphonso or Hapus from Maharashtra, Badami from Karnataka, Chausa from Himachal Pradesh and Dasheri from Uttar Pradesh are some of the most famous mango varieties in India, sometimes it becomes difficult for the customers to identify the different varieties of mango.

Here’s your guide to identify the famous varieties of mangoes and differentiate them from each other:

1.Langra (Uttar Pradesh)

One of the famous varieties of mango is Banarasi Langra, which is grown in Varanasi. It is called Langra because according to a famous legend, Langra was first grown in the farmlands of a lame man. It is oval in shape and is usually green in colour, even when it’s ripe.

2.Safeda/ Banganapalli (Andhra Pradesh)

Cultivated in the southern part of India in the state of Andhra Pradesh, Safeda is one of the earliest varieties of mangoes to hit the market during summers. Safeda or Banganapalli has a lovely bright yellow skin with a few spots and it tastes slightly sour. These mangoes have a pleasant aroma and are oval in shape.

3.Neelam (Hyderabad)

Another mango variety from South India is Neelam, which is cultivated majorly in Hyderabad, but available throughout India. With a lovely fragrance, Neelam is available mostly during June and July. These mangoes are tiny in size and have orange skin.

4.Badami (Karnataka)

Badami is one mango variety which has an abundance of nutrients and is known as the Alphonso of Karnataka. It has a very thin bright golden yellow colour skin with a tinge of red on the top of the fruit.

5.Alphonso/ Hapus (Maharashtra)

Alphonso, the king of mangoes, is native to Maharashtra but is also grown in Gujarat, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. One of the most expensive varieties of mangoes, Alphonso or Hapus has a natural distinct aroma, while its flesh is saffron in colour and has no fibre.

6.Totapuri (Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana)

Grown usually in Southern India, Totapuri resembles the beak of the parrot and that is how it got its name. While the flesh of this variety is not sweet, it is generally used for salads and pickles. The skin colour is greenish when the fruit is ripe.

7.Chausa (Himachal Pradesh, Bihar)

With dark orange-yellow or yellow-golden colour, Chausa aam is very sweet, juicy and fragrant, with no fibre and no sourness. The variety is named after a town in Bihar and is usually eaten by sucking the pulp.

8.Kesar (Gujarat)

Another expensive variety of mango, Kesar is mostly grown in Gujarat. It is rightly called Kesar as the colour of the pulp resembles saffron, the spice it is named after. It also smells like saffron, which makes it identifiable among different varieties of mangoes.