It is mango season and on the Karnataka coastline, it is the time of year when ice-creams created from locally-available fruit rule the roost. The king of fruits is one of the most popular flavours in the market.

Mukund Kamath, who runs the Ideal ice-cream parlour in the city says, “The Alphonso mango flavour is extremely popular. In the summer months, the Alphonso from Ratnagiri and Devgadh is used to make ice-creams.”

He adds, “Our mango sorbet is very popular. I prefer using only Ratnagiri Alphonso Mango for preparing ice-cream, since they have the right texture, aroma and taste, and the pulp remains fresh, even when it is refrigerated. It allows me to make different varieties of ice cream.” says Kamath.

Ajit Pai, a self-confessed fan of ice creams and mango says, “Since the Ratnagiri mangoes are expensive, I like the Alphonso mango ice creams. It is the next best thing to biting into a ripe fruit from Ratnagiri.”

The popularity of mango ice-cream varieties spans the coastline with many places in Udupi, Bhatkal, Honnavar, Karwar selling their mango ice cream mixes. Cashew dealer Prabhakar Nayak says, “I travel a lot and often indulge in locally made ice creams. Diana in Udupi, Summer in Bhatkal, Kamath’s in Honnavar and the Krishna Vilas in Karwar have the most authentic mango flavours.”