The semi-arid tract of Gajendragad in Gadag district has one of the largest plantations of Malnad’s famed pickle mango variety — appemidi (midi means tender mango in Kannada).
Sameer Patil, who has developed perhaps the first tender mango orchard (500 plants) in North Karnataka, says the dearth of these GI tagged mangoes in their natural habitat, the steep rise in demand and its ability to flourish in arid and semi-arid regions prompted him to try this new crop.
These appemidis have journeyed, as pickle and a crop, from the forests and riverbanks of Uttara Kannada and Shivamogga districts in the Western Ghats to arid and semi-arid districts, and even to other states, driven by an ever-increasing demand and decades-long conservation efforts.
Known for their diversity, distinct flavour, strong aroma and keeping quality, appemidis are integral to the food culture of Malnad. From their names to use, every other tree or variety has a story linked to it — Ananta Bhattana appemidi, named after the person who would skillfully climb the gigantic tree and harvest tender mangoes; Karnakundala, an S-shaped variety that resembles an ear jewellery; Kanchappe, that has sour orange flavour — making it a cherished natural treasure.
Every Malnad house has a culinary tradition around appemidi, developed after years of experimentation and knowledge sharing.
The first effort to propagate these wild varieties began in the 1940s, when Dantkal Genesh Hegde developed an orchard of grafted appemidi plants in Siddapur taluk of Uttara Kannada district. Grafted plants retain the characteristics of the original variety and start yielding early.
However, it was only in the 1990s that the need for conservation was seriously felt when century-old gigantic trees that yielded tonnes of appemidis were destroyed due to unsustainable harvesting practices.
This was also the time when local people started pickling industries to tap into the many advantages appemidi provided, extending it beyond household use. And the demand soared in no time.
“When I wrote about Ananta Bhattana appemidi in 1994, there was a huge demand for the mangoes and saplings from across the state. The forest department eventually planted hundreds of grafted saplings in and around Sirsi. Unfortunately, very few are fruiting,” says Sirsi-based conservationist Shivananda Kalave, who is working towards saving this natural heritage. He has also developed an appemidi orchard.
Traditional knowledge
Many enthusiasts began tracing trees in the wild and mapping their characteristics to pick the best ones for posterity.
Octogenarians Beluru Hegde Subba Rao and Bhagirathi in Sagar taluk started their search for the best appemidi varieties 35 years ago and have collected over 120 good strains.
Soon, their house turned into a research centre with the couple experimenting with pickling and preservation techniques and developing their selection criteria. After decades of documentation, they have identified 20 best varieties based on their keeping quality, aroma and freshness, and are propagating them.
Grafting workshops by Subba Rao took the message to hundreds of other farmers who also started saving their favourite varieties.
“The idea was to reduce the pressure on original trees. In one such effort, we ensured that as many as 5,000 houses have a grafted plant of Dombesara jeerige, considered one of the best varieties in the region. While some grafted plants grown initially are yielding fruits, flowering hasn’t happened in the orchards even after 10 years,” says Ganesh Kakal of Sahyadri Shreni Appemidi Belegagara Okkota (Sahyadri Range Appemidi Growers Federation), which played a crucial role in getting the GI tag for appemidi. He also runs a pickle industry.
He gives the example of mango plantations developed by farmers in over 40 acres in Sagar taluk, with support from the Horticulture Department, a decade ago. These trees are yet to yield.
Interestingly, appemidi orchards in regions other than its natural habitat have started flowering in the third year itself.
Growing demand
Ganesh Kakal remembers the first appemidi fair organised 15 years ago in Sagar, which gave a big push for these varieties creating a demand across India and even abroad.
According to him, the demand for appemidi pickle has increased by 20 times in the last two decades. “The supply is only 20% of the demand,” says Ganesh Kakal.
It is no surprise then that the cost of a single appemidi weighing around 10 grams is between Rs 5 and Rs 10.
An Indian Institute of Horticulture Research study published in 2015 mentions that the demand for appemidi pickle is about 5,000 tonnes per year resulting in a transaction of around Rs 100 crore.
Insiders say that pickle industries end up mixing other tender mangoes and use appemidis for flavour to cater to the demand.
The market prospects of appemidi has made it a favourite among cultivators. “I have sold over 5,000 saplings last year,” says Ananthamurthy Javali of Ripponpet who maintains a nursery of appemidi and jackfruit plants.
His nursery has 10 varieties that suit the pickle industry and are commercially viable. He says that appemidis are becoming promising crops in varied agro-climatic conditions mainly in plains and arid zones. “Now we can see appemidi plantations in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh as well,” he says.
But the culinary expertise and traditional knowledge still lies with the communities in Malnad. So, it inevitably will have to be marketed in the place of its origin. This is a unique model of conservation that is evolving, observes Shivananda Kalave.
He, however, cautions that the destruction of original trees still continues and says it is everyone’s responsibility to preserve them, which have many other ecological significance than just yielding appemidis.
Scientific support
Indian Institute of Horticulture Research (ICAR-IIHR), Bengaluru has been collecting indigenous mango varieties under its Mango Project since 2000.
Over the years, it has developed a field gene bank of 725 exceptional varieties native to the West and South zones of the country. “Of them 225 are appemidi varieties. Considering their vastness and diversity, we have developed a separate block for them. Each variety has been barcoded after physical and chemical profiling. This also helps in restoring a lost variety in its original habitat,” says Dr M R Dinesh, Director, IIHR.
Scientists at the institute have documented the origin of each variety with village name, longitude and latitude, and the traditional knowledge around appemidis.
Rulers of the pickle kingdom
Appemidi is the common term used for a wide variety of pickle mangoes grown naturally in the wild and along the rivers in Uttara Kannada and Shivamogga districts. These are generally century-old trees that yield fruit on alternate years.
While some say each tree is unique, others say that there are broadly 40 to 50 varieties.
The shape of the fruit is round or oblong.
These tender mangoes are broadly classified as jeerige and appe. Kanchappe, karpooradappe and sonesusutuga are some other types.
Appemidis are exclusively used for pickling. Some other recipes such as appemidi gojju and mandana gojju (appemidi concentrate) are also prepared and sold by pickle industries.
There are many other household culinary uses.
They are not used as fresh fruit.
No preservative is required while pickling.
The shelf-life ranges from one to five years depending on the variety.
Ripponpet in Shivamogga district is known for its appemidi market.
It is also called as the pickling town considering the pickle making units in the area. Now home industries are spread to other areas as well.
An IIHR study published in 2015 mentions that the demand for appemidi pickle is about 5,000 tonnes per year resulting in a transaction of Rs 100 crore.
What makes them sought after? Their taste, flavour, freshness, aroma and even unique shape.