The mango season has arrived and people from all walks of life are just lapping onto them. Whether it’s eating raw mangoes or going in for aamras or even if its in the form of a mango cheesecake, everything is pure love. With the season of mangoes coming in also comes along the sultry and humid summer season. Even if people say that mangoes provide extra internal body heat and therefore one should eat them judiciously, people end up throwing caution to the wind while eating mangoes. After all, they are one of the very few food items that provide some respite from the summer heat.

Talking about the same, Aditya Deshmukh opens up about his love for mangoes. He says, “Mango season has arrived, and at our home, we prepare aamras in a very authentic and extraordinary style, which we all enjoy a lot. When we make aamras at home, it’s not just about the aamras; we also have roti, a vegetable dish, Bhaji, rice, daal, salad on the side, and green chutney. It’s a complete combination, and all these dishes are essential whenever we have aamras. We all thoroughly enjoy this family moment; it’s our favourite time. I always believe that you should enjoy whatever every season brings, and have many memories associated with it. I remember in my childhood, my mom used to sleep during lunchtime, and we kids would crawl under the dining table, quietly pick a mango, and eat it without using a knife. It was a must to squeeze it completely and let the juice spill everywhere; otherwise, it felt like you hadn’t really enjoyed the mango. Eating mangoes meant letting their juices spill on yourself, your mouth, your face, your T-shirt, or wherever it landed. If you haven’t experienced that, then you haven’t truly enjoyed the essence of mangoes and life.”

Varsha Hegde, who has been one of the staunch lovers of a fruit diet, also spoke up about her love for mangoes. “Well, who doesn’t like mangoes? I love mangoes. I actually wait for summers to come so that I can have mangoes and once it’s over, I miss it so much. Mango is great for your health as well. It’s very good probiotic and it has very good amount of minerals in it. My mom used to soak the mangoes and give it us the next day. This way there is no heat content in that mango and then we can consume it and its good for us and our gut also,” says the reality show winner.

Not many would know that mangoes are a very indigenous fruit to the Indian subcontinent and south-east Asia. Countries in Europe and Northern America don’t have mangoes and therefore for NRI’s staying there to have mangoes imported from India becomes too much of a price hike.

Talking about her love for mangoes, Anupama Solanki says, “During my school days, I always waited for the first rain because my parents used to say that Mango should be eaten only after rain. If you want to eat mango before it rains then pimples will come to your face and body. My favourite mangoes were Dussehri Mango and Badami mango. Many times, I used to hide and eat mangoes because I love mangoes like anything. I eat mangoes with sabzi-roti as well and it enhances the taste. I am totally speechless when I think about mangoes but I don’t eat mango ice creams.”

“Mango is my most favourite fruit. It’s the king of fruits and it’s become so expensive too. I love mango milkshakes and mango cheesecake a lot. My wife Tina makes amazing desserts with mango every season,” adds Romiit Raaj.

In India mangoes are referred to as the king of fruits, and even in that, Alphonso is said to be the king in mangoes. Alphonso is also one of the many varieties of mangoes that are produced across the length and breadth of the country. A huge quantity of the Alphonso produce is actually sent for exports to various western countries, where there is no production of mangoes.

Megha Sharma, describing her love for mangoes, says, “Absolutely, I love mangoes just as they are. I’m not a fan of mango shakes, mango ice cream, or aamras; I simply enjoy mangoes in their natural state. They’ve been my favourite fruit since childhood. I remember when I was very young, probably in junior or senior kindergarten, and my mom was posted in Kasauli, near Shimla. I told her, "Mom, I’m craving mangoes," even though I hadn’t been eating much. She went down Mall Road and managed to find mango for me, even though it might not have been mango season. She brought it back, saying it was the only one the shopkeeper had, and even though it wasn’t the tastiest mango, it was the most special one in my life because of the memory it holds. I’ll always remember what my mom did for me.”

“I love eating mangoes just like that, and I like eating mangoes with cream, like I cut slices of mango and then I have it with cream. We used to eat Amrakhand in our childhood with puri and sabji, which used to be our meal combo during summers that my momma used to make for us, and I think that is my fondest memory,” adds Shubhangi Atre.

What’s really interesting is that people who grew up in villages and smaller towns have had mango trees in their backyards or their farms. Enjoying ripe mangoes right from the trees brings back numerous childhood memories for people.

Monika Singh talking of her nostalgic memories of mangoes, says, “Mangoes are one of my favourite fruits, especially during the season. I usually make shakes or eat slices. When I was a kid living in the village, I loved mangoes so much that I would pick them from our orchard. However, eating too many mangoes would sometimes cause boils on my body, and I would have to get injections. My family would hide mangoes from me, but I would still find them and eat them, despite getting scolded for it. The heat from eating too many mangoes would often cause discomfort, but I couldn’t resist them.”

Are you a fan of mangoes? What is your favourite variety of mango? Share your thoughts with us.