Wednesday, June 17, 2009

An Indian Summer

well atleast a south indian one, is not complete without mangoes (Mangifera indica) and jackfruits (Artocarpus heterophyllus). You see the mangoes all over the place - trees laden with greenish mangoes are a common sight all over the city as are street vendors with ripe yellow mangoes piled all over their carts. There are many different types, though the banganapalli and the malgova are probably the most common in this part of the country. The famed alphanso also makes its appearance, at a premium price of course. Mangoes are native to India, though now they are grown in other tropical places as well. India is hte largest producer of mangoes, though it does not account for too much of the trade in mangoes. Guess we like to eat them all!
And then there are the jackfruits. Native to south and south east asia, the jackfruits are not as ubiquitous as the mango, but definitely a lot bigger! I always marvelled at their size and wasnt surprised to discover a little while back that they are the largest fruit borne on trees. OUr neighbour has a jackfruit tree and are the fruits BIG! Stay tuned for pictures..

1 comment:

Rebecca Priddy said...

Thank you for sharing about the Mango tree. I did not know the Mango was the national fruit of India and Pakistan. I also am glad to hear that each temple has a temple tree.
Thank you!