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The title of this article is going to create a (hopefully friendly) flame war.

Also for the record, the best mangoes are categorically Alphonso.

But it goes without saying - the varieties from mango season beat the supermarket fare by astronomic margins.

Well in the spirit of a friendly flame war, I'm going to put my stake in the ground and say that Carabao mangoes from the Philippines and specifically the Galila, Tablan, and Fresco varietals from the island of Guimaras are the best in the world. Twice I've been lucky enough to end up in Guimaras--a tiny island off the southern coast of Panay--once I ended up there during the annual Manggahan Festival just by lucky happenstance. And my god, are the mangoes amazing: perfumey, floral, intensely sweet; they're the Sauternes of mangoes.

They are quite delicate and my understanding is that almost all the exports from there end up in Japan. I've certainly never been able to find them on either coast of the US. They've somewhat spoiled me for mangoes now as everything you can get here is rather insipid by contrast.

I second this opinion. Guimaras Mangoes are simply the best. I don't know anyone who's tried them and disagrees.

Japan does have a thing going for fruit[0]... they even have a luxury fruit store[1].

[0] https://www.dw.com/en/japan-fascination-with-fruits/a-576983... [1] https://www.buzzfeed.com/kevintang/inside-japans-most-insane...

Interesting, I've just had a massive Mango year (one of the silver linings of COVID I guess), and these are varietals I haven't seen before. I'll keep a look out for a chance to snag them.

It sounds like a rare variety to find though. Is this the case?

I don't get the sense that those varietals will only grow in Guimaras, but the locals will tell you that it's not just the varietal but also the specific soil, micro-climate, and cultivation methods of the island that makes them special. I have no idea to what extent that's true, but while I've had lots of good mangoes all over the Philippines, the ones from Guimaras were definitely the best.

I think this might be a coping mechanism as PK thinks they’re the inheritors of Mughal empire. But Pakistanis claim falls flat as the best mangoes in the world naturally come from the area where Mangifera Indica is native to.

Compared to the Langda, Haapus, Dashehri, Banganapalli, and countless other stellar varieties, PK has nothing to show.

jfc, can you please keep the regional elitism out of HN?

like we are in the same god damn region, mango is native to us too, we have the same cultivars as you, do you sincerely think we don't have Langras and Dusehris and what not?

Alphonso is the best!

I've never had an Alphonso, but my research indicates that it is very similar to my beloved Carrie, just from different regions. So can we agree to let them share the throne?

I never had a carrie. But I just saw a youtube video. Looks quite similar. The best of the alphonso is ratnagiri hapus. It is much bigger than the regular alphonso, more juicy and sweet. It has more orange-ish hue in the flesh.

[1] http://thewesternroutes.blogspot.com/2015/03/mango-picking-t...

> Also for the record, the best mangoes are categorically Alphonso.

How do they compare with different Asimina triloba cultivars? Or just too different to even compare?

Hmm, I have not heard of a paw paw before. But it looks like an interesting fruit to try!

While Paw Paw tastes great, there’s something special about Hapus. The texture and the flavours are amazing and the sweetness is just perfect. They go very well with Jack Fruit and Pineapples as well!

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