Philippine Super Mango v Maha Chanok v Edward...
Greetings fellow tropical fruit growers.
I just wanted to post a few words regarding my recent run-in with Mr. Maha Chanook. I was grocery shopping at the local Tesco Lotus Supermarket and saw they had a single tray of Maha Chanooks for sale in the mango fruit section. Needless to say I did a double-take at the sight of the sign advertising them. Unfortunately, many of the best fruits had been sorted through and bought before I had the chance to select from the tray. As all things locally grown here in Thailand, it was ridiculously cheap and affordable. Six beautiful mangoes for the equivalent of approx. $4.00 U.S. had me in stitches at the deal I just came upon.
You can see the variety name in English at the top.
I had two of them before I decided to snap away.. Delicious!
Very faint blush..No sun exposure while they were developing on the tree. Some fruits in the market had a very rich and vibrant blush on them while the fruit I chose to buy did not.
The buttery flesh of a ripe Maha Chanook.
I had the mangoes sitting on the shelf in my apartment and when I came home this evening, they had filled my entire place with the scent of ripe mangoes. They have such a strong scent! I would describe the taste as melting and buttery, juicy, fragrant, with a sweetness to round it out. Much more complex than any Thai mango I had eaten thus far except for one unnamed mango of which I have never seen again. The MC had a perfect balance of acid and absolutely no fiber to speak of.
The first thing I thought of was the Philippine Super Mango I had eaten when I visited Luzon Island on vacation in the P.I. The Ataufo, Champagne and Honey from Mexico and the Caribbean are all sports of the Carabao variety within the Philippines. They do NOT in my opinion reach the level of the Philippine Super Mango. They are not as fragrant, juicy, or fully flavored. This is just IMHO, being that I have tried both varieties at their peak and several times over. The PSM is also a sport of this variety except it has been selected due to it being a superior strain of Carabao and propagated under the designation "PSM." The Edward I ate shared all the basic characteristics of the PSM and MC but was unique in its own way. I also think the Edward I had has more of a sweeter and more powerful scent than either the MC or PSM. I had two MC's giving out a slightly "off" scent from the sap oozing out of the stem on the top of the fruit. This did not affect the flavor of the flesh inside. In my opinion, the Edward, MC and the PSM have relatively the same balance of acid, sweetness, buttery flesh, luscious flavor, lack of fiber, powerful fragrance, and overall appeal.
One thing I thought I would add is that since trying the Guiness Book of World Records "sweetest mango" being the PSM, I have to disagree with that designation. I'm not so sure they have entered some of the Okrung's from Thailand for their brix to be compared. It might have been a sport of Okrung that I tried, which was super super sweet?? I don't know but I almost threw it away because it was like eating mango flavored pancake syrup. I have eaten many PSMs but the Okrung mango here in Thailand...? Well, lets just say it's the sweetest, most syrupy, sugar packed little mango I've ever tried in my entire life.
Any other opinions on these four mango varieties flavor-wise?
-everettsky
Comments (7)
mango_kush
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Multiple Planting Tropicals in One Hole
Comments (15)HAJI KALIMULLAH Khan recently won a Padma Sri for growing more than 300 varieties of mangoes of different shapes, sizes and hues on one tree. This rare technique of his has made him popular as Âmango man in Malihabad. Listening to Khan talk about the variety of mangoes grown by him in his orchads, the expression and delight on his face puts across as if he is fiondly referring to his family members. KhanÂs prized tree is about 100 years old, on which he started work in 1987 to develop the craft of growing different varieties on one tree. He named these mangoes as namesakes on his family members who were also mango growers. After 50 years of incessant efforts, Khan has lately developed five new varieties of mangoes. He is, however, excited about a Âmost delicate and Âgraceful looking latest variety, which he has named as ÂAishwarya as it reminds him of Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai. "It were the children in the family who on seeing the new variety remarked that it resembles the actress in its colour and grace," Khan said. Among his most precious creations is a tree in the Mughal Garden at the Rashtrapati Bhawan flowering 54 varieties. The tree is 10 feet tall with six-foot-long root and was dug not with axe or spade but by water currents and transported from the orchid to Delhi in five quintiles of mud in 1999 as a present to the then President, said Khan. The craft developed by him has become a mystery for researchers and agriculturists from the country and abroad who have been left baffled by his work. The sexagenarian who also finds mention in Limca Book of records for growing the rare tree has the support of his sons in keeping the tradition alive. Among his regular visitors is the Uttar Pradesh governor, T V Rajeswar who had in 2006 named three of his varieties as Nayantara, Nargis and Jahanara, his son Nazimullah Khan said. Khan has also cultivated a new variety of all season flowering guava, which on ripening grows as red as apple. *i would REALLY love to have or try an Aiswarya mango, i named my dog after her too, lol. Bombay (Pirie) and Alphonso both come from Uttar Pradesh which is the exact longitude of South Florida, they have drier seasons however Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.merinews.com/article/a-mango-tree-that-flowers-300-varieties/136242.shtml...See MoreMangodog's Mangy Mango Tour 031611
Comments (30)....agree with you SW, the only danger that I can see being the more aggressive graft will outgrow the slower ones, potentially swallowing them up....thus....a need for vigilant pruning at least for as long as one can or is willing, to do so.......... I have a 5-in-1 citrus tree that I didn't trim for the first 6 years and the lemon part was so agressive I had to completely axe it off at the graft point - and so now the remaining oranges and lime are sharing space very nicely with just a snip here or there for control ....mangopupster...See MoreMango Pedigree
Comments (25)Mango hybrids are created by cross pollination. Mangoes will also self in many instances. The lore surrounding Edward was that it was believed to be a cross of Haden and Carabao. According to the Fairchild Mango Book, the cross was supposedly made by Edward Simmonds of the Plant Introduction Garden in Miami in the 1920's. However, recent isozyme studies have not supported this assertion that these were the parents. The original tree was grown on the Simmonds residence in South Miami and was first named and described by Tom and David Sturrock. So, I am not sure if this was a seedling of Haden, but I believe that this was the case. The other parent is not known, as far as I know. Harry...See MoreMaha Chinook
Comments (16)Thanks for the support everyone! I was in WA state for the past 9 years, so this is definitely a change of pace. LOL It feels nice to see that my tropicals are thriving instead of dying from the cold. The only thing is that I just started to learn Thai so I have limitations on what I can ask and understand, when speaking to the Thai nurserymen. This will change in time. andrew78: No, I didn't think of asking the fruit vendor the name at the time. The mangoes were light green at the time of purchase and I thought they were one of the "standard" Thai green eating types such as Mun Kun Si or Keow Sawoy, so I didn't bother. I didn't get around to eating them in time before I noticed them changing color. Boy, was I in for a surprise when I sliced them up. The fragrance was amplified and the flesh was dark orange and stringless. The taste was sweet and rich. If I would have known what a luscious surprise I was in for, I would have asked the vendor for the name of this mango. I walk by her fruit stand almost every day but she never has any of those types anymore. Maybe they're out of season now? everettsky...See Moremangodog
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoberns_20
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agomango_kush
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agotropicaliste
13 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
nighthawk0911
7 years ago
tropicaliste