The taste of mango

For us, an alphonso mango is all about that unique aroma and a lingering sweet taste in the mouth. But there are only very few discerning who actually know the difference even between alphonso mangoes.

Yes, like various sects within a caste and community, even alphonso mangoes have their caste system – the mangoes coming from Devgad are right there at the top of the pyramid, followed by Ratnagiri and then all other alphonso mangoes. They all have one thing is common – they all come from the Konkan belt in Maharashtra. The cultivation of Alphonso is spread across Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Raigad and Thane districts of Maharashtra, as well as Dharwad and Belgaum districts of Karnataka.  It is only the connoisseurs who know that mangoes coming from the South Konkan are the best.

And wanting to keep its “best amongst the best” tag intact, the Devgad Taluka Mango Growers Cooperative Society is desperately seeking a separate GI status for the Devgad mango. Its contention is that others are selling mangoes falsely as ‘Devgad’ mangoes when not. The Kelshi Mango Growers Society, which represents Ratnagiri Alphonso mango growers, has also sought a separate GI status for the Ratnagiri Alphonso.

For me and you, a mango is a mango, we know an alphonso by its aroma and taste but for the growers, surely this is a matter of getting what is rightfully due to them.