One of the best midseason mangoes is Totapuri that is found largely in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Interestingly Totapuri also known as Ginimoothi Mavinakayi in Kannada literally translates to parrot’s beak (face)!
Totapuri is cultivated in the Rayalaseema region (Chittoor, Kadapa, Anantapur and Kurnool districts) of Andhra Pradesh, Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu and Srinivaspur in Karnataka by small and marginal farmers. Chittoor and Krishnagiri have been identified as important mango clusters in South India.
Totapuri mango is medium to large in size, oblong in shape with an attractive green (raw) to golden yellow (fully ripe) colour. The inner flesh when fully ripe and ready to be processed is fibreless and looks a lot like Cadmium Yellow colour.
The raw mangoes make their appearance in the market around the New Year (Ugadi or Gudi Padwa). A traditional fare of Ugadi Pachadi and Mavinakayi Chitranna (Raw Mango Rice) is prepared from the first mangoes of the season. A variety of local delicacies like Mango Thokku, Mango uppinakāyi, Mango chutney and Mango gojju are prepared from these delicious mangoes that are available from March to May.
Totapuri is generally mild to tangy in taste and often cut into pieces and partaken with salt and chilli powder sprinkled over it. It is known to be an excellent source of Vitamin A, E, C and B.
It is estimated that Totapuri is grown in almost 70,000 hectares of land in Chittoor district alone. Farmers bring their fresh produce to the fruit processing units for the extraction of pulp. Alphonso, Totapuri, Banaganapalle and Kesar mangoes are the most preferred mangoes for the preparation of mango pulp in India. India is a major exporter of mango pulp with an annual sale of almost 1 lakh metric tonnes worth Rs 720 crores. Fresh mango, mango pulp and mango slices are exported to Central Asia, USA, Japan, South Korea and European Union in large quantities.
Mango pulp is used to make juices, packaged drinks, jams, squash and other beverages. It is also used abroad to make puddings, bakery fillings, fruit cakes and biscuits, yoghurts, creams and others.
Totapuri mango finds favour in both the domestic and international markets for its aroma, pulpiness, unique flavour and excellent sugar acid blend. Farmers would be able to benefit immensely if more processing units are set up close to the orchards especially in Chittoor and Krishnagiri and avail subsidies for transportation.
Written by Lakshmi Subramanian
* Photos are only symbolic (Taken from public domain/internet and any copyright infringement is unintentional and regrettable)
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