Taste of life: Before Alphonso was king, Pune’s local mango varieties ruled taste-buds

Undisputed king of the local varieties was the Pia-posha from Bhamburda. A close second were the Rajia and Ryotya, fruits of which were very sweet and colour so exquisite that European housewives bought the fruits to decorate their dining tables

The year was 1911 and the month January. Sir George Sydenham Clarke, Governor of Bombay, decided to send exquisite and expensive gifts to some of his friends and compatriots in India and abroad. The first consignment, he decided, was to be mangoes, grown around Bombay and Poona.

The British noted that in the Bombay Presidency, although mango trees were seen in every village, yet there were undoubtedly certain classes of soils that influenced the yield and excellence of the fruit. (Rahul Raut/HT PHOTO)

Things did not proceed his way. On February 2, 1911, a frost occurred in Poona with disastrous effects on the mango flowers, all of which were blackened and killed.

There was no harvest of the fruit in Poona that year and the Governor was disheartened. He might have communicated his disappointment to his friends in Egypt, because the same year, British officials in Egypt placed an order for mango plants from Poona.

In 1912, a consignment of grafted mango plants was sent from the Ganeshkhind Botanical Gardens in Poona, to the Director-General of Agriculture, Giro, Egypt. Later, in April 1916, a consignment was sent from Poona to Jamesabad in Sind and arrived in good condition; and another to Gorakhpur in the United Provinces, equally successfully.

Bajirao Peshwa II had planted large numbers of mango trees in the neighbourhood of Poona. It is said that he had long caravans employed to bring seeds from Goa, and when the British took over the city, many of the plantations remained, to show the poor quality of the average mango fruit raised from seed.

The British noted that in the Bombay Presidency, although mango trees were seen in every village, yet there were undoubtedly certain classes of soils that influenced the yield and excellence of the fruit.

G Marshall Woodrow, noted horticulturist, stated that fruit of the highest quality might be produced on a loamy soil three feet in depth containing five—ten per cent of lime and enough peroxide of iron to give the soil a reddish tinge. He mentioned that an excellent mango type was found on the banks of the Mula river near Ganeshkhind in alluvial loamy soil to a depth of five feet. There was another plantation of 5,000 trees near Khed Shivapur, a few miles south of Poona, situated on soil of five feet of dark brown loam, nine feet of marl, two feet of gravel, and three feet of very porous murum (a disintegrated form of trap rock).

So the British decided to survey the region and encourage the harvest of the already existing local varieties rather than those brought to Poona from Goa and Ratnagiri. The result of this endeavour was the cultivation of several varieties which the British thought were superior to the famous Alphonso.

There were large plantations of the Alphonso variety in Kirkee (Khadki). Then there was Badshah, grown near Dhankawadi, which had agreeable flavour but was woolly. Mrs Petit’s garden in Wanowrie had the Batasi variety, the saplings of which had been imported from an orchard in Parel. The Bhopaly and Motiya varieties grew near Hirabaug, the trees of which were shoulder high. Wadgaon had orchards of two varieties – Dalbed and Deorukhya. The former was considered superior to the Alphonso variety by many British officers. Bhamburda (Shivajinagar) had the Gadgya variety. It had a piquant flavour and the trees were dwarf. Alandi had orchards of the Jhiprya variety. The pulp of this fruit was white and it was considered a good to use in cakes and jams.

Sardar Balwantrao Natu planted the Khoont variety in his garden in Kadus. It was a very fine fruit with an un-attractive colour. Then there were Moraya, Kubdya and Kalia near Sinhagad (Donaje). The pulps of these fruits were deep yellow with very few fibres. Pandhrya too grew in the same area, the pulp of which was sweet and greenish yellow.

Vishnu Sadashiv’s garden hosted the Mahaluga variety. The pulp was woolly and flavour slightly mild. This fruit was not much liked by the natives, but was a darling of some Europeans.

The undisputed king of the local varieties was the Pia-posha from Bhamburda, the skin of which was rich cream coloured, suffused with crimson on the exposed side. The pulp was pale yellow, very sweet. The fruits were large and the fragrance delightful. The valuable colouring matter, Indian Yellow, was obtained from the urine of cattle fed on the Pia-posha mango leaves.

A close second were the Rajia and Ryotya, fruits of which were very sweet and colour so exquisite that European housewives bought the fruits to decorate their dining tables.

In Bombay and in the neighbourhood of Ratnagiri, the mango harvest was nearly over by the end of May, except for a few late varieties; whereas in Poona and the neighbouring districts, it began from the middle of May and continued till the end of June. Because the mangoes were sold late, especially after the rains had set in, the demand for them was very low, and as a consequence, they had to be sold very cheap.

After the First World War ended, Alphonso became the favourite of the rich. These fruits were brought to Pune from Ratnagiri and were considered a status symbol. The fine local varieties were unfortunately overshadowed and later almost erased from the public memory by the Alphonso.

Pia-posha mango chutney recipe

The Pia-posha mango could now only be found in vintage recipes, like the one for mango chutney published in the Bulletin of the Botanical Department, Jamaica, in 1905 : Three pounds Pia-posha mangoes (turned, but not ripe, 3 pounds tamarinds, 2 pounds raisins (weighed after stoning), 8 pounds brown sugar, 1 pound chilies, 1\2 pound garlic, 2 pounds green ginger, 1\4 ounce mace, 1 ounce mustard seed, 1\4 ounce cloves, 1\4 ounce pimento, 1\2 pound table salt.

Soak tamarinds in 2 quarts of the best vinegar, stir them about with a wooden spoon to get the pulp off, and take out the seeds and the leathery part in which they are enclosed.

Cut the raisins small. Peel the ginger and grate it.

Pound the chilies, garlic, and mustard seed in a mortar, using a little of the vinegar to moisten.

Mix all together thoroughly; it is then ready for use.