Suman Chhabria Addepalli eagerly unpeels the fruit that everyone looks forward to in summer! The unique aroma, that golden hue, that delicious tang - the mango is an obvious harbinger of the summer season in India.

And beyond being simply delicious, mangoes are rich in vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants - 'king of all fruits'.

How To Gobble 'Em
You don't need to be taught this, but still...
Rinse your mango well before cutting it. Better still, throw a few cubes of ice into a container of water and let the mango chill a few minutes before you eat it. Mangoes are characteristically warm from within, as the ripening process is continuous. Ice and water freeze this process and bring out the flavour.

Do not refrigerate mangoes for more than 30 minutes. And refrigerate them just before you eat 'em; over refrigeration kills their taste.

Once cooled, mangoes can be peeled and cut into cubes or slices (without peeling). To avoid biting into a mango and having its juice dripping down your chin, simply hold a slice in one palm and scoop the flesh with a spoon.

Also, do try this: Hold a ripe mango between your palms and rub it vigorously for a few minutes till the pulp softens inside. Then, all you have to do is to bite off the portion near the stem and squeeze out the pulp or even sip it out, till all that remains is the lonely seed.

How To Ripen 'Em
Wooden crates are good incubators where plucked mangoes, kept between layers of straw, start to change colour. You can also leave them in rice straw for a week. Typically green when raw, the mango will turn yellow and finally, a golden yellow colour.

Types Of Mangoes
Hapus: Also known as Alphonso, this mango is The One, which Mumbaikars prefer. It has a thin skin, aunique aroma, an appealing flavour and a delicious pulp. The stone is smaller than many other varieties and more pulp.

Payri: Payri is surely second in terms of preferred flavour and sometimes costs more than the Alphonso, because it is cultivated less and prone to decay caused by pre-monsoon showers. It can be differentiated from the Alphonso by its unique beak at the bottom, its watery, fibrous pulp and colourful skin.

Malgis: Another colourful mango with a unique taste and flavour. It has 'threads' in it, and is therefore normally used to make mango pulp, as it cannot be cut into cubes.

Kesar: Golden in colour, this variety is grown in the Junagad district of Gujarat. This mango is bigger than the Alphonso and has a high pulp content.

Rajapuri: Widely used to make sweet mango 'achaar', it is popular in Western India. It's a very large sized mango, weighing approximately between 400 and 700 g. It has a thick skin and a very small seed, has no threads, and is therefore a pleasure to eat.

Totapuri: It's often known as the mango of the 'common man'. Big and affordable, it has no unique flavour of its own. It can easily be mixed with any other mango. Has a very small stone and therefore a higher pulp yield. Since it has a very thick skin, it is normally transported loose without any packing.

Lalbaug and Neelam: Other varieties from South India, which are also very cheap. Known to be widely cultivated in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the stone inside them is virtually flat.

Malgoba and Badami: These are widely cultivated in Andhra Pradesh. They are very large, round and have remarkable shapes. Again, quite affordable, they have their own distinct taste, and are appreciated in the Southern states of India.

Dashahari: For this variety, we travel to the North. Dashahari is the most widely cultivated and famous mango in North India. However, the season of this variety typically starts after all the mangoes from South and Central India disappear from the fruit market. It is sold in wooden crates without any hay or packing material except newspaper.

Langda: Another famous North Indian mango, which ripens after all varieties from the South. It is cultivated in Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and other North Indian states. Its season begins much after the Alphonso.

Enjoy Your Mango
Never postpone eating a mango, it is said - the Lord of the Seasons may change his mood before you know it!

Pick The Mango That
• Has a distinct enticing, fruity aroma from the stem end.
• Is rounder and has a slight depression around its stem.
• Yields slightly to gentle pressure.
• Is an orangish or golden yellow colour.
• Does not have too many black spots on it.
• Is not too wrinkled and pulpy