There are many great varieties besides the Alphonso, that are popular in different parts of India. Examples include the Langda, the Malda and the Raspuri varieties. Quite different from one another and each with its own devoted following.
I found Mexican mangoes to be a pale imitation of the Indian varieties. Surprisingly, the best mangoes I have tasted in America were from two huge trees in the backyard of a place we were renting in Hawaii. The trees had shed hundreds of mangoes with hundreds more on the trees themselves, and then caretakers were only too happy to see us enjoy them. Made my Hawaii trip memorable!
> I found Mexican mangoes to be a pale imitation of the Indian varieties.
Do you mean produce you bought fresh in tropical regions in Mexico e.g. at a local market stall, or produce you bought in a US supermarket, imported from Mexico by a large-scale distributor?
There are great fresh mangoes available in markets in southern Mexico, tastier than the ones easily found in the US. Similar story for other tropical fruits, including bananas. The demands of long-distance shipping and wide distribution force significant compromises in most types of fresh produce.
Disclaimer: I have never been to India.
> best mangoes I have tasted in America were from two huge trees in the backyard ... in Hawaii
Yeah now try to grow those at commercial scale and keep them as tasty weeks later after shipping them hundreds of miles across several layers of supply chain.
I found Mexican mangoes to be a pale imitation of the Indian varieties. Surprisingly, the best mangoes I have tasted in America were from two huge trees in the backyard of a place we were renting in Hawaii. The trees had shed hundreds of mangoes with hundreds more on the trees themselves, and then caretakers were only too happy to see us enjoy them. Made my Hawaii trip memorable!