Diaspora members, New Yorkers savour Indian mango varieties at special event

Diaspora members, New Yorkers savour Indian mango varieties at special event

Consulate General of India in New York hosts day-long ‘Indian Mango Festival’ in the Union Square neighbourhood

The flavours and aroma of popular mangoes from India took New York City by storm as residents relished samples of the Kesar and Langra varieties at a special event here that brought back familial memories for diaspora members of Indian summers spent savouring the ‘King of Fruit’.

The Consulate General of India in New York hosted the day-long ‘Indian Mango Festival’ in the city’s Union Square neighbourhood on Tuesday, featuring the renowned Indian mangoes Kesar from Gir and Langra from Varanasi.

Intermittent rains during the day did not stop New Yorkers and members of the diaspora community from lining up to savour delicious samples of the varieties.

The Consulate said, “More than 1,000 New Yorkers sampled these delicious varieties, and Indian mangoes quickly became everyone’s favourite!”

“Indian mango is popular and gaining a lot of attention here. Everywhere people are talking about them, there is immense enthusiasm for mangoes from India,” Deputy Consul General of India in New York, Vishal Harsh, told PTI.

He said that while people know about Alphonso mangoes, not many are aware of other varieties from India, such as Kesar and Langra.

“We are popularising other varieties of Indian mangoes here,” he said, adding that going forward, the Consulate plans to host larger events bringing more varieties of Indian mangoes to New Yorkers.

People from various walks of life and cultures were seen relishing the mango samples, and it did not take long for them to declare that “these are the best mangoes” they have ever had. Several people were inquiring about where and how they can purchase more mangoes in and around the New York tri-state area.

A young New Yorker, biting into the mango slices, said he usually does not like mangoes but “these are delicious and fantastic.” For many members of the diaspora community in New York, the opportunity to relish mangoes from home brought back memories of Indian summers and childhoods spent with family savouring varieties of Indian mangoes such as Alphonso and Kesar from Maharashtra, Banganapalle and Himayat from Andhra Pradesh, Langra and the famed Dussehri from Uttar Pradesh and Ripe Rajapuri from Gujarat.

Many commented that they have not had Indian mangoes for several years, especially ever since they moved out of India, and the event was an excellent opportunity to bring people and communities together to enjoy the “King of Fruits” from home.

“For me, it brings back memories of having mangoes with my whole family. I’m going to take a photograph of the mangoes and send it to my mother,” a person at the event said.

“It feels excellent. I feel like I have been deprived of this for a very long time,” a young Indian at the event said. “It has been years since I had the Langra mango, and this really takes me back home. While mangoes from other regions are available in the US, they do not taste like the ones we have grown up eating in India,” he said.

Indian Consulates across the US - from Seattle to New York - are organising mango festivals, bringing a “wide range of premium Indian mango varieties and innovative mango-based recipes” to Americans and diaspora alike.

The Consulate General of India in Seattle had hosted the ‘Mango Magic: Promotion and Tasting Event of Indian Mangoes’ earlier this month.

The ‘Mango Magic’ event had further amplified the potential of regional mango varieties from India and their potential for exports and consumption by wider global audiences in the US.

The Indian Embassy in Washington DC is organising a ‘Taste the Tropical Magic’ event on June 27, promising an “afternoon dedicated to India’s celebrated mango varieties, featuring complimentary tastings for all.” Mangoes from India are flying off the shelves at retail giants like Costco across the US as members of the diaspora community and residents make a beeline to purchase boxes of the fruit.

Bob Huskey, Vice President of fresh produce at Costco Wholesale, had said in Seattle that the retail giant has just recently started selling the Indian Kesar mangoes, “and they have been selling faster than we can bring them back in.” At the event in New York hosted at the Time Out market, a young Indian-origin girl got emotional as she tasted the Indian mangoes.

“I’m crying these remind me of my grandmother,” she said, fighting back tears and choking up. “I was supposed to go to India and visit my grandmother. It’s prime mango season in India right now” but one can’t always go back, particularly during this time of the year. “It has been almost 10 years since I’ve had Indian mangoes in India. This is like gold, it’s very, very precious,” she said, savouring a bite of the Kesar and Langra mangoes.

The Consulate General of India hosts the Indian Mango Festival, showcasing Gir Kesar and Varanasi Langra mangoes, at Times Out Market Union Square, in New York, US. Image credit/PTI.

Staff prepare and serve mangoes during the Indian Mango Festival hosted by The Consulate General of India, showcasing Gir Kesar and Varanasi Langra mangoes, at Times Out Market Union Square, in New York, US. Image credit/PTI.