Not ripe enough for a king

Published June 7, 2015
Not its texture, not its smell: the real test of the ripeness of a mango is in its taste — Shutterstock
Not its texture, not its smell: the real test of the ripeness of a mango is in its taste — Shutterstock

If you were to believe fruit seller Mohammad Wakeel, mangoes haven’t really arrived in the cities. They have been ushered in through ripening agents, simply so that produce from Sindh doesn’t go to waste before Punjabi produce floods the markets.

“There are five major types of mangoes commonly available in Karachi,” says Wakeel, who sets up his stall on Tariq Road, near Liberty Chowk. “There is Sindhri, Langra, Dussehri, Anwar Ratole, and Saroli. In some premium shops, you might be able to find Chaunsa too. But none of them are ripe for consumption when they reach Karachi.”

Wakeel claims that most mangoes available in the market today are from orchards in Sindh, since they are picked early and sent to the consumer early. Wholesellers trade these mangoes as they are, leaving traders like Wakeel to ripen the fruit themselves. “After Eid, you will see mangoes from Punjab flood the market. This process will start by mid-June, but by Eid, you’ll see it in full flow,” he says.

Mohammad Nadeem from Multan concurs; he owns mango orchards in his village near Khanewal. “The produce isn’t ripe as yet, because we need a little more rain and sunshine for it to flourish. It’ll take about 20 days more for it to mature. What is the point of selling something that isn’t ripe?”


Mango mania is here, so learn how to pick the best of the season


The ripening agents used by mango sellers include calcium carbide, the use of which to ripen edible pro­ducts is illegal in many developed countries. Calcium carbide is available in small sachets; traders usually leave between two and three of these sachets inside each mango box (paiti) for a week or so, before selling the produce.

“There is demand for mangoes that are yellow. You’ll see that Anwar Ratole and Saroli are the most consumed mangoes, but they are also the unripe ones. Most sellers will tell you that they have artificially ripened them.”

Meanwhile, housewife Zulekha Ali arrives at Wakeel’s stall and asks about how much “yellow” mangoes cost. Her rationale is that green mangoes are unripe, but if they are yellow, they must be ripe and sweet.

“People don’t understand that even if a mango is yellow, it isn’t necessary for it to be ripe and sweet. I can show you premium quality yellow-coloured mangoes that are still raw. There are ways to check if a mango is ripe, and customers should usually follow those ways,” says Wakeel.

“The most common one is to smell the produce, but it isn’t the most accurate either. Sometimes people say we’ll buy mangoes when they smell ripe, but before they know it, the season is already over. That is why texture is equally important; a mango that isn’t soft isn’t ripe,” argues the mango seller.

“People love their long and flat mangoes, but flat mangoes often means that the pulp inside hasn’t developed. That same flatness will start rounding up as the produce ripens. Check the mango from the stem too; if there is roundness around the stem end, your mango is ripe,” he says.

“But perhaps, the surest way to tell if a mango is ripe or not is to eat it; ask your fruit seller to cut a slice for you, but make sure his knife isn’t pre-soaked in sugary syrup. Many sellers defraud their customers by making them taste a sweetened slice of mango. Ensure that the slice you are eating is free of such influences, and focus on the taste,” concludes Wakeel.

*The writer tweets *@ASYusuf

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, June 7th, 2015

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