Harum Manis mangoes - how not to get cheated

A 3 hour drive from Penang gets you to the border of Perlis , the tiniest state in Malaysia .

Thailand lies beyond , but now being June , sees our presence here for a sampling of the famed Harum Manis mangoes . This species of mangoes thrives best only in this state and is only available from May to June thus we made it just before the season ended .

That clutch of mangoes below weighs approximately 2 kilos and cost us 50 ringgit for the whole lot .

You might be turned off by the black spots and think that they are not perfect but not to worry , the fruits are still edible .

Here's the thing though .

A TV programme feature ,caused the mangoes to become much sought after . Last year some of the sellers could command up to 100 per kilo . The tv station's claim that these mangoes were very much sought after by the Japanese , was refuted in a viral post recently . And although no one sought to verify that persons claim , a lot of people chose to believe it . A good majority of people from other states who tried the fruit out of curiosity , swore that there was nothing special about the fruit .

I'm telling you they got cheated and didn't even know it . Or they bought someone's house garden fruit , instead of purchasing it from a farm which gets FAMA advise .

Anyway , the hefty price tag angered the local folks , and that led them to shun or do without these fruits .

That tv programme alone caused a surge in demand till many fake sellers mushroomed everywhere up till Penang , claiming to be selling the fruit . Prices shot through the roof !

However , as you can see , from all the trouble we undertook to get some , this fruit

the mango is not only NOT EASILY found everywhere throughout the state of Perlis .

You need to look for it and you need a car to do so .

As a result , the price of the fruit has plunged so much this year , that many farmers have resorted to burning the fruits to stem disease .

Some places sell them from between 10 to 15 ringgit per kilo , but if anything is to go by and what the seller I bought these from says is true , then you should take note and come to a conclusion yourself .

She admitted that her lot came from a farm and she was a reseller . But she knew how to pick good fruits and she told me very honestly that she needed to make some money back , and frankly that was ok with me .

So , now we come to the most important feature , the best tip you should keep in mind if you want to buy this fruit and not get cheated with a Sala mango which is cheaper by a whole lot (as the taste can be erratic and range between sweet and bland as compared to the aromatic and sweet Harum Manis)   .

Look at the picture above .

The bottom of the fruit has TWO POINTS and an almost flat surface .

What you must be very careful of is the seller switching or replacing the expensive Harum manis with a single point Sala mango as they both look alike .

If the bottom is rounded , you've been conned . So make sure you inspect and give them a piece of your mind if they attempt to cheat you . 

ALWAYS check each fruit bottom INDIVIDUALLY after payment has been made .

Besides , the farmed species is superior to the house garden or village grown species as the farmers do get FAMA officers advise , which makes a whole world of difference .

Location : Perlis