In the world of mangoes, Pathiri is to Mayiladuthurai (or Mayavaram) what Alphonso is to Maharasthra. Alphonso is named after Afonso de Albuquerque, the viceroy of Portuguese India from 1509 to 1515 CE. Jesuit missionaries, who first began grafting mango plants in Goa between 1550 and 1575 CE, also introduced the Alphonso variety. Once confined to the western parts of India, the fruit is now cultivated nationwide.
William Dalrymple, the author of The White Mughals, writes about the correspondence between British officials Palmer and James Kirkpatrick. In it, Palmer offered to send him a selection of mango grafts for his orchards. The two were soon comparing notes on their favourite varieties, agreeing — sensibly enough — that the Alphonso was hard to beat.
