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Alphonso Mangos

Alphonso Mangos
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  • Post #31 - May 13th, 2008, 12:45 pm
    Post #31 - May 13th, 2008, 12:45 pm Post #31 - May 13th, 2008, 12:45 pm
    Geo wrote:Mostly what I found Back Home (KC and Montreal) were pretty regular-sized and -shaped Mexican fruits, which the cutter thingy does a pretty good job on. Except that it doesn't shave the seed closely enough, so I end up chawing on the damn thing, thereby getting juice and pulp all over my face.


    Exactly! What a waste otherwise. As I mentioned above, I sometimes use a very sharp paring knife--my godmother who has a mango grove in her backyard in the Philippines taught me how to slice up mangoes with minimal waste. The knife can be dangerous, however, especially after you've removed the two big "fillets" and are working very close to the seed. Slippery suckers! :)
  • Post #32 - May 13th, 2008, 1:06 pm
    Post #32 - May 13th, 2008, 1:06 pm Post #32 - May 13th, 2008, 1:06 pm
    I could NOT figure out what kind of a tool had been used to gouge out those neat little ridges and valleys running along the side of the pit. Now I know... :)


    OK, here's the best I can do. Start with your garden-variety Mexican mango & device:
    Image


    Impale the mango with said device:
    Image

    Wall-ahh! (as my students spell it) a split, seedless mango:
    Image

    And finally, ready for the chomping:
    Image

    Fast, relatively neat, but not nearly so skilled or precise as Bridgestone's method. And I lose a bit of juice, which he, quite obviously, doesn't!! :P

    Geo
    Sooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick! :)
  • Post #33 - May 13th, 2008, 1:20 pm
    Post #33 - May 13th, 2008, 1:20 pm Post #33 - May 13th, 2008, 1:20 pm
    so I end up chawing on the damn thing, thereby getting juice and pulp all over my face.

    Someone, possibly Nigella Lawson IIRC, wrote that the only effective way to eat mangos was while in the bath.
  • Post #34 - May 20th, 2008, 2:21 pm
    Post #34 - May 20th, 2008, 2:21 pm Post #34 - May 20th, 2008, 2:21 pm
    I picked up some Khan BBQ to go for dinner last night. While waiting for the food to be ready, I popped over to the market on Devon (I can't remember the name...it's the first one west of Western, on the north side of the street) to check out the mango selection. No Alphonsos. They had about 2 dozen or so boxes of Kesars though. I couldn't ascertain if they had them and ran out or if they haven't arrrived yet. I'm guessing the latter. I chose to forgo the Kesars and wait for the Alphonsos. The box of Kesars was $32 for a dozen, I believe. And the size was similar to a Manilla mango.
  • Post #35 - May 20th, 2008, 2:43 pm
    Post #35 - May 20th, 2008, 2:43 pm Post #35 - May 20th, 2008, 2:43 pm
    What's available here these days is the Ataulfo, at 89¢/each, not at all a bad deal.

    BTW, I came across this offer for Alphonse mangoes:

    http://tinyurl.com/6l6kap

    $5 a copy, then there's delivery. Whew, must be *some* mango...

    Geo
    Sooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick! :)
  • Post #36 - May 21st, 2008, 3:46 pm
    Post #36 - May 21st, 2008, 3:46 pm Post #36 - May 21st, 2008, 3:46 pm
    I was wandering Devon Ave. last Sunday and stopped-in Pattel Bros. to have a look at the Alphonsos. They were stacked out-of-the way to the right of the doors - almost hidden. The mango's were priced at $30 for the case. None of the mango's were in the produce section. I looked around for 15-20 minutes and don't think anyone purchased these. I don't think I'm mistaken that they were Alphonsos. I did see what I think were identified as Ataulfo mango's, packed in the Zihuatanejo area of the state of Guerrero, Mexico in one or two other stores in the area. I opted for some very ripe honey Manila mangos - purchased at the Jewel on Howard & Kedzie - from which I (last evening) made a batch of ice cream; very good ice cream.
  • Post #37 - May 30th, 2008, 12:28 pm
    Post #37 - May 30th, 2008, 12:28 pm Post #37 - May 30th, 2008, 12:28 pm
    I doubt we'll be seeing very many more Alphonso mangos (if any) coming into the U.S. this year. According to my sources, the bulk of the crop was a couple weeks late, monsoons came a couple weeks earlier than expected and the crop has been quite adversely effected. I suppose that some more 'early picked' stuff, which was in transit before the storms hit, could still be on its way but that's probably going to be about it for this year.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #38 - July 15th, 2008, 10:49 am
    Post #38 - July 15th, 2008, 10:49 am Post #38 - July 15th, 2008, 10:49 am
    mcg wrote:Anyone familiar with Alphonso mango? How do these differ from a more typical mango?


    These are probably the most consistently satisfying mangoes I've had. I bought a box of them -- "very ripe" - at Caputo's in Bloomingdale right before the Fourth. About 20 for $2 -- we gave a bunch to the guy who cleans our house and still had several days of mango-rific bliss: very tender, sweet, and seemingly easier to peel than the more common, bigger magenta-lime green-yellow variety. The season for them may be just about over.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #39 - July 15th, 2008, 12:21 pm
    Post #39 - July 15th, 2008, 12:21 pm Post #39 - July 15th, 2008, 12:21 pm
    David Hammond wrote:
    mcg wrote:Anyone familiar with Alphonso mango? How do these differ from a more typical mango?


    These are probably the most consistently satisfying mangoes I've had. I bought a box of them -- "very ripe" - at Caputo's in Bloomingdale right before the Fourth. About 20 for $2 -- we gave a bunch to the guy who cleans our house and still had several days of mango-rific bliss: very tender, sweet, and seemingly easier to peel than the more common, bigger magenta-lime green-yellow variety. The season for them may be just about over.


    Are you referring to the Ataulfo mango? The Alphonso, as far as as I know, only come from India and are very scarce. I believe they are no longer available for the year. The Alphonso is often considered the "King of Mangoes." And their price usually reflects that. Sadly, I have yet to get my hands on one!
  • Post #40 - July 15th, 2008, 1:03 pm
    Post #40 - July 15th, 2008, 1:03 pm Post #40 - July 15th, 2008, 1:03 pm
    viaChgo wrote:
    David Hammond wrote:
    mcg wrote:Anyone familiar with Alphonso mango? How do these differ from a more typical mango?


    These are probably the most consistently satisfying mangoes I've had. I bought a box of them -- "very ripe" - at Caputo's in Bloomingdale right before the Fourth. About 20 for $2 -- we gave a bunch to the guy who cleans our house and still had several days of mango-rific bliss: very tender, sweet, and seemingly easier to peel than the more common, bigger magenta-lime green-yellow variety. The season for them may be just about over.


    Are you referring to the Ataulfo mango? The Alphonso, as far as as I know, only come from India and are very scarce. I believe they are no longer available for the year. The Alphonso is often considered the "King of Mangoes." And their price usually reflects that. Sadly, I have yet to get my hands on one!


    viaChgo, given the price, they may very well have been Ataulfo...
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #41 - July 15th, 2008, 2:40 pm
    Post #41 - July 15th, 2008, 2:40 pm Post #41 - July 15th, 2008, 2:40 pm
    viaChgo wrote:The Alphonso, as far as as I know, only come from India and are very scarce. I believe they are no longer available for the year. The Alphonso is often considered the "King of Mangoes." And their price usually reflects that. Sadly, I have yet to get my hands on one!

    This is correct. Alphonso Mangos are identified by, among other things, their origin. Even if the same plant is transplanted to another country, the resulting fruit is not considered to be Alphonso. They possess a flavor and aroma that are very distinctive and while some other varieties of mangos come close, those who know alphonsos can pick them out while blindfolded.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #42 - July 15th, 2008, 5:41 pm
    Post #42 - July 15th, 2008, 5:41 pm Post #42 - July 15th, 2008, 5:41 pm
    They are scarce outside India in part because they don't ship well- the flesh is fairly fragile when ripe & they have a limited season, but I've eaten them on a number of occasions in Toronto. Apart from their distinctive aroma, part of why they are so prized is they have almost no fibers or stringiness which characterizes other mango varieties. The great luxury in India is to offer Alphonso mango diced (usually over ice cream) & the smaller the dice the better (i.e. 0.5 cm or smaller dice, & not mush) - you can only do this with absolutely perfectly ripe mango with no fibers in it & its one of the great treats that you never refuse. If you are traveling in India during Alphonso season, the five star hotels make a bit deal of their availability & offer a variety of special desserts - & the best one is usually the simplest, the diced mango with ice cream or cold rabri (I have particularly fond memories of eating this last one year on my birthday in Jaipur).
  • Post #43 - March 24th, 2009, 2:59 pm
    Post #43 - March 24th, 2009, 2:59 pm Post #43 - March 24th, 2009, 2:59 pm
    According to a report at The Times of India, it doesn't look good for the 2009 Alphonso crop . . .

    The Times of India wrote:Cultivators and scientists from the agriculture university at Dapoli have predicted a record low for the crop this year, which may be about a third of the normal produce.

    There is a combination of reasons for this phenomenon, say scientists; the rise in temperature this winter, the subsequent dew and then the unseasonal showers have resulted in a wide fluctuation of overall day and night temperatures in the months of December and January.

    The Times of India wrote:Alphonso cultivators from Deogad Shridhar Ogale and Sudhir Joshi said the total crop this year would be around 35% of the normal annual yield. Raut said some farmers, who had opted for the sulphur spray and other organic pesticides a few days ago, might be able to retrieve the situation.

    Bitter Pill: Experts Predict Record Low Mango Yield

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #44 - March 24th, 2009, 3:21 pm
    Post #44 - March 24th, 2009, 3:21 pm Post #44 - March 24th, 2009, 3:21 pm
    That's a bummer. I may be denied yet again this year, then.

    Is it hard to go back to the run-of-the-mill mango after you've tasted the Alphonso?
  • Post #45 - March 24th, 2009, 3:27 pm
    Post #45 - March 24th, 2009, 3:27 pm Post #45 - March 24th, 2009, 3:27 pm
    viaChgo wrote:Is it hard to go back to the run-of-the-mill mango after you've tasted the Alphonso?

    From my perspective, not so much. Eating a good, ripe Mango is always satisfying for me. But if you grew up with Alphonsos or have eaten them for many years, perhaps that wouldn't be true.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #46 - April 17th, 2009, 5:23 pm
    Post #46 - April 17th, 2009, 5:23 pm Post #46 - April 17th, 2009, 5:23 pm
    I spotted cases of Alphonso mangos at Patel Bros. on Devon today for $32/dozen. All the flats were sealed shut so couldn't get a look, but there were approx. 2 dozen cases.

    Patel Bros.
    2610 W Devon Ave
    Chicago, IL 60659
    (773) 262-7777
  • Post #47 - June 11th, 2009, 10:55 am
    Post #47 - June 11th, 2009, 10:55 am Post #47 - June 11th, 2009, 10:55 am
    Is is too late to get some? Somehow I missed the thread this year. :(
  • Post #48 - June 11th, 2009, 11:04 am
    Post #48 - June 11th, 2009, 11:04 am Post #48 - June 11th, 2009, 11:04 am
    NPR did a story on them today

    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... =104881449
    Leek

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  • Post #49 - June 11th, 2009, 1:19 pm
    Post #49 - June 11th, 2009, 1:19 pm Post #49 - June 11th, 2009, 1:19 pm
    Yeah, that's what reminded me!
  • Post #50 - June 11th, 2009, 4:15 pm
    Post #50 - June 11th, 2009, 4:15 pm Post #50 - June 11th, 2009, 4:15 pm
    ronnie_suburban wrote:
    viaChgo wrote:Is it hard to go back to the run-of-the-mill mango after you've tasted the Alphonso?

    From my perspective, not so much. Eating a good, ripe Mango is always satisfying for me. But if you grew up with Alphonsos or have eaten them for many years, perhaps that wouldn't be true.

    =R=


    Meant to respond to this long ago - and the recent NPR story reminded me again.
    Having grown up with mangoes (but not so much alphonsos, which are available predominantly in the western part of India - not where I grew up) I just want to add that to me mango is not really a fruit. It is a season. And the beauty of the season is how over its course the varieties and flavors change and progress, and seeking out* fleeting varieties. So to concur with the above npr article - although Alphonso may be king, there are a lot of other mangoes ~sigh~ that I smell in my dreams this time of year.

    *such as this hunt
  • Post #51 - June 11th, 2009, 5:15 pm
    Post #51 - June 11th, 2009, 5:15 pm Post #51 - June 11th, 2009, 5:15 pm
    I had never seriously tasted a mango—even during my time in China—until The Other Dr. Gale did a tour in St. Kitts six years ago. We were there for nearly two months, and, of course, there were mangos everywhere, even on the ground in the front of one of Debbie's colleagues' houses. Needless to say, I got hooked on them there.

    Getting a good mango in KC isn't easy. It's essential that one go to one of the Latino markets, which isn't a problem; the problem is, the shortness of the good-mango-being-imported season.

    But here in Montréal, mangos are everywhere! And mangos *from* everywhere! I'll be looking for Alphonsos at the Indian market up the street, maybe even tomorrow.

    What a wonderful fruit! And sazerac I can see how "mango" can be a season in your life. "Apple cider" is the same for me. :)

    Geo
    Sooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick! :)
  • Post #52 - June 12th, 2009, 12:17 pm
    Post #52 - June 12th, 2009, 12:17 pm Post #52 - June 12th, 2009, 12:17 pm
    sazerac wrote:
    ronnie_suburban wrote:
    viaChgo wrote:Is it hard to go back to the run-of-the-mill mango after you've tasted the Alphonso?

    From my perspective, not so much. Eating a good, ripe Mango is always satisfying for me. But if you grew up with Alphonsos or have eaten them for many years, perhaps that wouldn't be true.

    =R=


    Meant to respond to this long ago - and the recent NPR story reminded me again.
    Having grown up with mangoes (but not so much alphonsos, which are available predominantly in the western part of India - not where I grew up) I just want to add that to me mango is not really a fruit. It is a season. And the beauty of the season is how over its course the varieties and flavors change and progress, and seeking out* fleeting varieties. So to concur with the above npr article - although Alphonso may be king, there are a lot of other mangoes ~sigh~ that I smell in my dreams this time of year.

    *such as this hunt



    I always love mango season in india, in the airports you see people carrying boxes of diferent types of mangos to take to family who don't have access to that type where they live. people go totally crazy over mangos. in a very good way.
  • Post #53 - June 12th, 2009, 2:34 pm
    Post #53 - June 12th, 2009, 2:34 pm Post #53 - June 12th, 2009, 2:34 pm
    ronnie_suburban wrote:According to my sources, the bulk of the crop was a couple weeks late, monsoons came a couple weeks earlier than expected and the crop has been quite adversely effected. I suppose that some more 'early picked' stuff, which was in transit before the storms hit, could still be on its way but that's probably going to be about it for this year.

    electric mullet wrote:I spotted cases of Alphonso mangos at Patel Bros. on Devon today for $32/dozen. All the flats were sealed shut so couldn't get a look, but there were approx. 2 dozen cases.

    There's a reason they won't let you have a look. The Alphonsos are so bad this year they aren't worth buying. Every single mango in the case (purchased around May 17 from Patel) looked like this.

    Image

    Absolutely inedible and a complete waste of money. I've had the Alphonsos from India in previous years and they were great. Wait until next year.
  • Post #54 - June 12th, 2009, 7:43 pm
    Post #54 - June 12th, 2009, 7:43 pm Post #54 - June 12th, 2009, 7:43 pm
    Rene G wrote:Absolutely inedible and a complete waste of money. I've had the Alphonsos from India in previous years and they were great. Wait until next year.


    Indeed that looks to be a travesty. Won't let you look? I'd never buy mangoes I couldn't hold, feel (not squish) and sniff. Crops tend to be good every alternate year (even in the absence of weather effects). Won't let you look? What kind of mango vendor does that? [sticks tongue out and Pbbbbbt!]
  • Post #55 - June 12th, 2009, 11:11 pm
    Post #55 - June 12th, 2009, 11:11 pm Post #55 - June 12th, 2009, 11:11 pm
    I think I will calendar now 2010 spring to try these. I do heart mangos. Usually in smoothies because they are so sticky & messy for me to eat raw :P
    Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

    Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening
  • Post #56 - May 16th, 2011, 10:44 pm
    Post #56 - May 16th, 2011, 10:44 pm Post #56 - May 16th, 2011, 10:44 pm
    Any mango sightings this year? I just made a mango crisp from some I had frozen and it was so so good. Will need to look for some new mangoes to make more. I'd also like to make a mango pie.
    Toria

    "I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" - As You Like It,
    W. Shakespeare
  • Post #57 - May 17th, 2011, 10:54 am
    Post #57 - May 17th, 2011, 10:54 am Post #57 - May 17th, 2011, 10:54 am
    They were at Patel Bros. on Devon a week ago, Sunday. $40 for a case of a dozen.

    Actually, it could have been at Fresh Farms (a couple of doors down from Patel Bros.) I can't recall now which one, or if it was both, that had them.

    shyne
  • Post #58 - May 31st, 2011, 10:22 am
    Post #58 - May 31st, 2011, 10:22 am Post #58 - May 31st, 2011, 10:22 am
    Currently, I'm in Toronto where the Alphonso quality is hit and miss. The first case we purchased ($24/dozen - guess it helps to have a very large Indian population) were terrible. Only 2 of the 12 were edible. In fact, they resembled the picture posted earlier. The second case was considerably better, but not great. Yesterday, we purchased 3 cases ($8.99/six) and they have been absolutely fantastic - silky, aromatic, sweet, with just a touch of tartness :)
    Jyoti
    A meal, with bread and wine, shared with friends and family is among the most essential and important of all human rituals.
    Ruhlman
  • Post #59 - August 1st, 2011, 6:26 pm
    Post #59 - August 1st, 2011, 6:26 pm Post #59 - August 1st, 2011, 6:26 pm
    Pakistani mangoes hit Chicago and the US

    Anybody make it to the mango party at the Palmer House ?

    Most excellent news to see the arrival of chaunsa mangoes here in the US.

    Not to stir up an Indo-Pak mango melee, but last month I was up north in Toronto and picked up crates of chaunsas and alphonsos (among others) and I did not have good luck with alphonsos and am told we got another bum season. Hopefully y'all will see these chaunsas readily available (perhaps they've always been).
  • Post #60 - August 8th, 2011, 7:49 pm
    Post #60 - August 8th, 2011, 7:49 pm Post #60 - August 8th, 2011, 7:49 pm
    shyne wrote:They were at Patel Bros. on Devon a week ago, Sunday. $40 for a case of a dozen.

    Actually, it could have been at Fresh Farms (a couple of doors down from Patel Bros.) I can't recall now which one, or if it was both, that had them.

    shyne


    tends to be patel rather than fresh farms that has the cases shipped over, though i haven't checked this year as I've been disappointed in the quality of the shipped ones I've tasted, though I am looking forward to trying the chausa's - which are a variety I've never had and my father says are closest to the the type he grew up loving - darsheelis.

    I did have an interesting mango a couple weeks ago bought from the fresh farms on touhy (theough they weren't available this week when I looked) - an atualfo with a little bit of a pinkish rosy blush to them and a slightly smoky taste.

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