Native, indegenous mango varieties of Tamil Nadu are known for its distinctive taste, texture and colour
The Hindu
Responding to a rising interest in heritage varieties, farmers work on preserving and marketing indigenous mangoes
At his 35-acre farm in Bodi, Tamil NaduJayanth Kaliappan fiercely protects eight local varieties of mango. “We have 1,200 mango trees, of which 22 are native varieties. Of them, eight are rare and unique to this region,” says Jayanth. His organic farm, set in Theni district, follows the legacy of his father A Kaliappan, who made it his mission to save native rare mangoes from extinction. At his farm, Jayanth harvests thennampaalai, which tastes like coconut; and muttakose, shaped like a cabbage. The farm also protects its brightly-flavoured singivaada; big, fibrous javadu; and sweet, pulpy thadaga kaai. Finally, there is the rosemary, tinted pink near the stem, and adamaga, used for pickling, which weighs between 1.5 and 2 kilograms.More Related News