Every Indian summer has the same argument. Banganapalli or Alphonso? Totapuri for pickle, Himayat for the connoisseurs, Dasheri if you're from the north. We won't settle it here. But when it comes to a creamy mango popsicle, we have our answer.
Why Alphonso?
Alphonso, known as Hapus in Maharashtra, is prized for three things: its smooth, almost fibre-free flesh, its deep saffron colour and a fragrance you can smell across a room. Those same three things are exactly what you want in a frozen pop. No stringy bits, a colour that needs no help, and a flavour strong enough to survive the freezer.
A short season
Alphonso arrives around April, peaks in May and is mostly gone by the end of June. That's a big part of its legend. It's a fruit you wait for.
Freezing dulls flavour a little. Alphonso has flavour to spare.
How we make our Alphonso Mango pop
Our Alphonso Mango pop follows the same rule as everything we make: real ingredients. Alphonso pulp and milk. The result is creamy, deep gold and tastes like the ripest mango you had as a kid, eaten over the sink.
It's consistently the pop people ask for first. If you've only tried one House of Pops flavour, it's probably this one.
More mango on the menu
- Mango + Strawberry: creamy mango with whole strawberry slices.
- Rainbow Mix: mango, strawberry and kala jamun in three layers.
Mango ice cream, but on a stick
Most people searching for mango ice cream in Hyderabad are looking for exactly what this pop is: real mango, real milk and nothing artificial. The only difference is the shape. Instead of a scoop in a cup, it's frozen solid on a wooden stick, which keeps the mango flavour sharp and stops it melting into a puddle on a 40°C afternoon.
How to tell real Alphonso from mango flavour
Real Alphonso has a warm, saffron-gold colour and a fragrance that's floral and slightly resinous. Mango "flavour" tends to taste sweet and one-note, and the colour is often brighter than any mango you've ever cut. If your mango ice cream is highlighter yellow, the colour almost certainly came from a bottle. Ours is exactly the shade of the pulp we use.
A summer ritual
Ask anyone who grew up in India about mango season and you'll hear the same stories: a crate arriving at home, the whole family around the dining table, sticky hands and arguments about who gets the seed. We think a mango pop should taste like that memory. That's why we only make it with Alphonso, and why it's the first flavour we recommend to anyone new to House of Pops.
Order our Alphonso Mango pop online, or bring it to your next party with the Pop Cart.
Order Alphonso MangoMango vs mango flavour
A lot of mango ice pops in India are made with "mango flavour" and a yellow colour. Check the label: real mango gives a warm golden colour, not a neon one. Here's how to tell the difference in ten seconds.
Love seasonal fruit? Read about sitaphal season and kala jamun next.