Andhra Pradesh's flagship mango — large, oval, golden, fibre-free, and the canonical 'sliced mango' fruit of South India. The first Indian mango to win Geographical Indication protection.
Named after Banganapalle, the small principality (now town) in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, where the cultivar was selected by the Banganapalle Nawabs in the 18th century. 'Beneshan' (बेनिशान, Urdu for 'without a mark') refers to the smooth blemish-free skin; 'Safeda' refers to the pale yellow colour.
The Banganapalli — also written Banganapalle, Banginapalli, or Beneshan, and called Safeda across much of the south — is the flagship mango of Andhra Pradesh and one of the most-eaten mango cultivars in India by sheer volume. It is named after Banganapalle, a small former principality in present-day Kurnool district, where the Nawabs of Banganapalle are credited with selecting and propagating the cultivar in the 18th century. In 2017 it became the first Indian mango (by application date) to receive Geographical Indication protection under the title "Banaganapalli Mangoes of Andhra Pradesh".
A Banganapalli is unmistakable: a long oval fruit, often more than 400 g and routinely reaching 500–550 g — among the largest commercial Indian cultivars. The skin is unusually smooth and almost blemish-free (the source of the Urdu name Beneshan, "without a mark"), turning from green to a uniform pale lemon-yellow at ripeness. The flesh is firm, fine-grained, pale gold rather than saffron, with very low fibre, and a relatively low brix of 14–18° — sweet but not as candy-sweet as Dasheri or Alphonso. The pleasure of the variety is in its clean, balanced flavour and the way it holds its shape under a knife.
The cultivar dominates Andhra Pradesh and Telangana production, with significant orchards also in Karnataka (Kolar district), Tamil Nadu (Krishnagiri), and pockets of Maharashtra. Banganapalle is also the single largest Indian mango cultivar by export volume — the firm flesh ships well, and the long shelf life of a properly cool-chained Banganapalli (10–14 days under refrigeration) makes it the go-to South Indian export to the Gulf states, Singapore, and Malaysia. Season runs April through June, peaking from mid-April to late May.
Banganapalli is the canonical sliced mango of South India — its firmness means it can be peeled, deseeded, and cubed cleanly, and it shows up in mango shakes, milkshakes, lassi, and on the cut-fruit plates that anchor every Telugu meal. The unripe green fruit is the base for avakaya, the iconic Andhra mango pickle with chilli, mustard, and turmeric, and for mamidikaya pulihora, the tart raw-mango rice that opens many summer wedding feasts. In Kerala and coastal Karnataka the same fruit appears in mango curries and seafood gravies, where its mild sweetness balances chilli and tamarind.