A fruit synonymous with the summer season in Goa is the mango. Known as 'aam' in the Indo-Gangetic Plains where it is still grown in abundance, it also goes by 'amba' in Marathi and 'ambo' in Konkani. Further South it is 'mavin kai' in Kannada and 'mangai' in Malayalam. The Portuguese did not bother to change the name: they christened it as 'manga'. No doubts about its origin: the Botanical name is Mangifera indica or mango-giver of India. Thanks to the Jewish botanist Garcia da Orta, we also have documentation of what plants we had in Goa as far back as the middle of the sixteenth century. The mango was one of the trees taken to Mumbai before it was given to the British crown as dowry.

We have a long tradition of lending our names or surnames to 'chance seedlings' of mango that are superior in taste. The latest in the line is the Cardoso named after Mapusa's famous pathologist, Armando Batista Cardoso, in whose compound it grew from seed. Former minister for education, Raul Fernandes, had a variety named after his father: Manga Hilario. May be no relation of the current king of Tiswadi but there is a variety named Monserrate. There is also a variety named after our Goemcho Saib, known as Xavier. The big, fat and insipid mango is for some unknown reason called the Bishop.

To a true-blue Goan, mango means mankurad. The mankurad is the king of mangoes, especially for people living in this little dot on India's map! There is a whole lot of confusion about the Goa Afonso and the Ratnagiri Alphonso. "Ha Paus-cha amba" meaning "This mango is from (the village) Paus" gradually became "Hapoos Amba" and now has a Geographical Indication as "Hapoos". For the European galleries, it is still the Ratnagiri or Devgad Alphonso. This variety is similar to the malcurada or mankurad variety known as 'Goan Mankur' in the Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts of Maharashtra from where it comes to the markets in Goa at the start of the season. Afonso, Nicolau Afonso and Afonsa are something else altogether. These varieties are rare but still available.

The Hapoos is susceptible to spongy tissue, known as 'saka' in Marathi and 'lashem' or 'laxem' in Konkani. It is the part of the mango pulp that remains white in colour as in the raw mango, either due to failure of enzymes or the initiation of germination in the ripening fruit. We are not so worried about the causes as the effect: a mango that has to be junked. Plucking the mango when mature, without allowing it to ripen on the tree is one option. Plucking it in the cool hours before noon is another. Application of lime (chuna) to the soil is also recommended. The owner of the tree is willing to try all the treatments. Mangoes are worth their weight in gold.