US-INDIA AFFAIRS: The Indian Mango Arrives in the U.S.

!PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU SPOT THESE MANGOES IN STORES AROUND THE U.S.!

UPDATE, May 3: The following quotes about the arrival of the Indian mangoes were given to SAJAforum.org this morning (be sure to scroll down to the comments section below, too).

Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek International, who grew up in Mumbai: "I'm thrilled. It's been one of the things I miss most from India. The Alphonso Mango is just delicious, the best in the world. Americans have been deprived on this delicacy for too long!"

David Davidar, author of "The House of Blue Mangoes: A Novel" and publisher of Penguin Canada: "The broader implications of the move aside, the decision by the US to start importing Indian mangoes simply means residents of the States will now be able to start enjoying the finest mangoes in the world not just the insipid varieties from elsewhere that were the only option available to them until now."

Shashi Tharoor, whose "The Great Indian Novel" features one of the best descriptions of India's love affair with the mango: "After years of penury, where what passed for mangoes in American supermarkets was a travesty of the term, we at last have the real thing! I used to believe that true mango lovers could sue American groceries for false advertising -- the tasteless, fibrous, tart and flavor-challenged fruit they sold did not deserve the name of mango. Now we should urge every American we know to try a real Indian mango.
They'll never think of mangoes the same way again."
(reporters/bloggers: feel free to quote from these, crediting SAJAforum)

THE ORIGINAL POSTING: The photo on the right (by Jay Mandal/On Assignment; jay@jaymandal.com; he has more pix) shows India's Ambassador to the U.S. Ronen Sen, US Trade Representative Susan Schwab and  U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns watching Ramesh Kaundal, executive chef of Bombay Club, cutting mangoes at the Commerce Department in Washington on Tuesday, May 1, 2007. Nothing special about that - after all, you can easily get mangoes in the U.S. But it is noteworthy because those are mangoes made in India and they are now available for the first time in America.

From the New York Times:

The first legal shipment of Indian mangoes to the United States (US) in decades landed at New York's Kennedy International Airport on 27 April, probably the most eagerly anticipated fruit delivery ever. “If we can get them at good ripeness," said Suvir Saran, executive chef of the Indian restaurant Devi in Manhattan, "people will go mad for the beautiful, supple flesh and intense flavour." Some Indian-Americans have spent hundreds of dollars at an auction in Miami for rare Florida-grown Indian mango varieties; flown home specially for the season; or tried to smuggle illicit fruit past airport inspectors, striving to recapture rapturous memories of their homeland's luscious, incomparable mangoes. Until now, though, most could only crave and dream.

It took years of high-level government negotiations - and low doses of irradition - to make this possible. Read  the excruciating details of the deal, and its, well, fruits. See the US Department of Agriculture and US-India Business Council  press releases below.

See SepiaMutiny posts and comments. Siddharth Mitter points out:

On less sweet a note, it seems that between production and transportation costs and the stranglehold exercised by Mexican mangoes (how dare they!) on U.S. distribution channels, Alphonsos may cost up to 10 times more than the plebeian mangoes currently available at your local yuppie food mart, tropical store or bodega. The pleasure of the Indian mango, it seems, shall be known by elite mouths only.

Also see SM item about the new Oxo Mango Slicer - it's not for you if you think cutting and peeling the skin and having the juices drip all over your hands is part of the mango's charm.

Since the deal was announced in 2006, I have been harassing my friendly neighborhood fruitwallah (who's from Bangladesh), asking him about Indian mangoes. I am hoping he'll get some soon. What we usually get, from Mexico, are stringy and leave you needing to floss - nothing like the best quality Indian ones.

My family has experience trying to bring mangoes in during the bad old days. When my wife was on bed rest while expecting our twins, my mom came to visit from Vienna and brought a dozen Indian mangoes. The customs agent at JFK stopped her and told her she couldn't bring them in. When she explained they were for my wife's cravings for the good stuff, he said simply that his daughter had been pregnant and she didn't get - or need - any mangoes. My mom was given the choice of sitting there and eating them all in the customs area or dumping them...

What do you think? Excited or couldn't-care-less? Post your reax in the comments section below - lots to read there. Share your mango stories.

UPDATE from SAJAer Lavina Melwani:

With all the excitement of our Indian mangoes arriving in the US, I thought I'd pass you the link to the essay Once Upon a Mango that I did for Little India. It was very well received by readers and I had also quoted SAJAer Kirit Desai quite extensively - he had some great mango memories of growing up in India.
http://www.littleindia.com/news/142/ARTICLE/1167/2006-07-15.html

USDA Release: FIRST SHIPMENTS OF INDIAN MANGOES ARRIVE IN UNITED STATES
http://www.usda.gov/2007/05/0123.xml

Melissa O'Dell (301) 734-5222
Keith Williams (202) 720-4623

FIRST SHIPMENTS OF INDIAN MANGOES ARRIVE IN UNITED STATES

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2007-U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns on Tuesday welcomed the first shipments of irradiated Indian mangoes arriving through U.S. ports-of-entry, initiating mango trade with the United States.

Indian mangoes are the first fruit irradiated at an overseas site and approved for importation into the United States. Irradiation became an approved treatment on all pests for fruits and vegetables entering the United States in 2002. Last year, a generic dose was recognized for a wider range of commodities, including Indian mangoes. The use of irradiation provides an alternative to other pest control methods, such as fumigation, cold and heat treatments.

"This is a significant milestone that paves the way for the future use of irradiation technology to protect against the introduction of plant pests," said Secretary Mike Johanns. "India and the United States began talking about shipping mangoes 17 years ago. Irradiating Indian mangoes safeguards American agriculture while providing additional choices for U.S. consumers in today's global marketplace."

APHIS, the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, approved the importation of precleared, commercial shipments of fresh mangoes from India, provided certain conditions are met. To ensure that plant pests of quarantine significance do not enter the United States though the importation of this fruit, the mangoes must be treated with specified doses of irradiation prior to export at an APHIS-certified facility. Each shipment must also be accompanied by a certificate issued by the national plant protection organization of India with additional declarations certifying that the treatment and inspection of the mangoes was made in accordance with APHIS regulations. In addition, inspectors with the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection may further inspect precleared commodities at the port of first arrival.
USDA News
oc.news@usda.gov
202 720-4623

- - -

Contact:    Nivy Mehra
202-463-5886
nmehra@uschamber.com

U.S.-India Business Council Hails Arrival of Indian Mangoes

Supports Successful Doha Conclusion and Deeper U.S.-India Trade

May 1, 2007 - Washington, D.C. - At a “Mango Celebration” today hosted at the Washington-headquartered U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC), just opposite the White House, U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns each received from Indian Ambassador Ronen Sen the first gift baskets of ripe Indian mangoes seen in the U.S. Capital in 18 years.

Smiles and joyous applause erupted at the USIBC mango tasting event as an Indian chef, Mr. Ramesh, from the nearby-famous Bombay Club of Washington, DC cut into the first alphonso mango. Indian Ambassador Ronen Sen shared cubes of the golden fruit with the two Bush Administration Cabinet officials credited for enabling access of Indian mangoes to the U.S. market.

 

India’s Commerce Minister, Kamal Nath, remarked upon the first consignment leaving India last Friday: “America for too long has denied itself the taste of delicious Indian mangoes.” For Indian mango growers, the American market holds significant promise.

India is the world’s largest producer of mangoes - at 12 million metric tons harvested each year - but it accounts for less than 1% of the global mango trade. America’s taste for mangoes is growing - with U.S. demand 99% dependent on imports - mostly from Mexico and South America - at 250,000 metric tons annually, valued at $156 million. By contrast, in 2005-06, India exported 58,000 metric tons of mangoes to neighbors in Asia and to Europe.

This breakthrough of opening mango trade is highly emblematic of a push by both the U.S. and India to deepen two-way trade from $30 billion to $60 billion over the next two years.

“U.S. willingness to purchase Indian mangoes is another important step towards deeper engagement and more robust U.S.-India trade,” said Ron Somers, President of the U.S.-India Business Council. “As our commercial and strategic partnership deepens, two-way trade will soon reach new levels, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in India and thousands of jobs here at home,” said Somers.

“USIBC salutes India’s farmers and the Indian agricultural community, and extends its heartfelt congratulations on this joyous occasion of the first mango consignment reaching Washington D.C.,” Ron Somers said. “USIBC congratulates the Bush Administration for making this happen, and welcomes U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab’s sincere efforts to successfully conclude Doha and deepen Indo-U.S. trade,” Somers said.

USIBC recently issued an RFP for its “Free Trade Initiative”, calling for proposals to prepare a “roadmap” charting the course for enhanced trade and investment between the world’s largest free-market democracies.

USIBC celebrates its 32^nd Anniversary in Washington this summer, holding its “Global India” Summit on June 27th, which will feature Boeing’s Jim McNerney, Reliance’s Mukesh Ambani, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, India’s Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab, and U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, among others. 

The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) is comprised of the top 250 companies investing in India, joined by India’s global companies, whose purpose is to deepen commercial ties between the U.S. and India. For more information, please contact nmehra@usibc.com

!PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU SPOT THESE MANGOES IN STORES AROUND THE U.S.!

Comments

[Jaya Kamlani]

Sree, did you have to show a photo of it too? Now that you made my mouth water, I would say I'd pay a dollar more for a delectable juicy mango, only if it is the authentic "Alphonso" mango from Bombay (Mumbai). They are the sweetest, and are generally available during the monsoon season that lasts from mid-June through mid-Septemeber.

In America, there are so many exotic foods available, I would not pay a fortune for a basket of mangoes. Still, I like mango lassi with my meal at an Indian restaurant.

For dessert, make it mango ice-cream and a small plate of Gulab Jamuns. I'll skip breakfast tomorrow, if I must.

Jaya Kamlani

[Ben]

does this alphonso mango taste better than our "Kilichundan Maanga"? --
presuming that you are a malloo, like me, though you look more of a tamil
than a malloo in your pix.
ben

[Shurjendu Dutt-Mazumdar]

What's the possibility we're going to be getting some Himsaagar mangoes? I'd say it's a toss-up between Alphonsos and Himsaagars in terms of taste and mouthfeel (kou-gan).... but as far as the NAME goes? Top prize to Himsaagar: what sounds better than biting into fresh 'Snowy-Ocean' Mangoes?

Oh, and by the way... I would totally be willing to pay premiums for Indian mangoes... why chug swill when a little extra gets you vintage wine?

[Ajay Mehta]

Yummy! Can't wait to eat them. I've been telling my Wholefoods supermarket in
LA to import them. It's cool they are here.

[Melanie]

I am thrilled about this! Having had my first Indian mango in India (Mumbai) just a month or so ago (and that before the season really began), I have to say that they are better than any mangoes we have ever had here before!

[Jane Mulkewich]

Does anyone know what this means with regards to the possibility of getting Indian mangoes in Canada?

[Albert Chu]

Sree: As a life-long mango lover, I welcome the news. I frequent an Indian grocery store from time to time and bought mangoes there, thinking that they were from India, so maybe not. But I bought the canned mango too. I can't wait to taste the fresh mango. I hope it will be as fragrant as the ones from Vietnam and the Philippines. Keep me informed.

[Ashir Badami]

The Indian mango on American streets.
Can it be true. After all these years of longing, wishful thinking and denigrating those weak mangoes we get now, I can scarcely believe it.
Ever since I can remember, mangoes were a part of my life. Family lunches on swealtering days, the slow pulse of the pankha as we gripped the sweet, tender flesh of still-warm mangoes moaning with delight as we consumed the nectar of a good mango. And even when I landed State side, turning my nose up at the anemic fruits that call themselves mangoes, and giving my American friends an exposition on the true mango.

In so many ways, the absence of the Indian mango from our lives here has become a symbol for the South Asian experience in the West. No matter how far we've travelled, how well we do, or how long we have been here, the inability to get a good Alphonso or any other varietal has meant that we have always had a portion of ourselves that existed elsewhere, beyond the imagination or experience of our new home. It brought us together as a community, as it does once again. Except this time we get to enjoy something together, instead of lamenting it's absence.

[Ali Nuru]

I am delighted that the first mangoes of the season are here. It reminds me of the French campaign every year that announces the first arrival of Boujolais Wine.

The key operating phrase here, however, is "First LEGAL shipment". I've seen Indian Mangoes in Jackson heights during the appropriate season before. Perhaps they came in below the "radar".

And of course, delicious canned Pulp and Juice, has been available in supply for a while.

Strikes me that this is a "new" PR push by someone?

My cynicism aside, I too celebrate with joy, the arrival of Hafoos, Alphonso and Kesar.

[OSWALD I.ABRAHAM]

MANGOES , THE KING OF FRUITS ARE WELCOME TO UNITED STATES FROM INDIA. IN INDIA WE HAVE MANY SPECIES OF MANGOES. "ALFONSO", "LANGRA", "DASSERI", "KALMI", "SAFEDA"
ARE FEW OF THE TOP OF THE LINE MANGOES AVAILABLE IN THE STATE OF U.P. OUR SPECIES OF MANGOES ARE THE BEST IN THE
WORLD. NOW THE ARRIVAL OF MANGOES FROM INDIA IS PASSIONATELY AWAITED AND CHERISHED.

OSWALD

[Piali Roy]

Yes, this may be good news to some, but not to the food miles people who would prefer that you eat Mexican mangoes before Indian mangoes (especially if you live in the northern part of N.A).

[shilpa mankikar]

yum! i was just wondering about this at the supermarket yesterday. they are so flavorful.

[syed ali]

the best mangoes are of course the basic hyderabadi be-nishaan. this alfonso craze, i just don't get it. and the north indian ones are ok, but far overrated.

[Tahir]

At last, mangoes that to paraphrase Damon Runyon, one will have to sit in the bathtub to eat.

[Priyanka]

It is certainly exciting to know that Indian mangoes are arriving in US. Coming from the state of Uttar Pradesh and a family that owns mango orchards, I have craved for delicious mangoes since I have been in USA. Needless to say in past three years, I only tasted one mango I bought from the grocery store and realized that maybe it is not really mango after all and left it at that. Maybe now I will be able to taste authentic, delicious mangoes and maybe ask my family to export some :)

[prem kishore]

This article with some modifications was first printed in India Post but I wanted to share it with you.

On hearing that mangoes have arrived in the US

I immediately dissolved into a beatific state. Eyes glazed, a lusty smile quivered around the lips, and a torrent of memories came tumbling in a rush, as I remembered sharp, intense sensations, and images, of my favorite fruit of all time-the Mango.
The mango daze, the mango days….I am delirious at this point. Days or daze-what did it matter?

It is summer in Bangalore and the mango season. It begins with the swing. Under the mango tree. Kicking off the ground with bare feet, gaining momentum, twining my arms round the knotted gnarly ropes and I am soaring up into the branches of the mango tree . The trick was to calculate the distance between the swing and the branch laden with luscious mangoes. Fingers grab a firm golden fruit, a quick strong tug and I am on my way swooping down with the fruit firmly held in my hands. After that, it is a time of bliss while the teeth sink into the fruit the color of haldi as I bite deep into the succulent, nectar, soft flesh while the juices spread to every corner of the mouth. It dribbles down cheeks, lips, neck and hands and I am lost in dizzying joy..and then the teeth hit the seed. I take it out with the mushy pulp and start sucking slowly, languorously until the seed is bare. Replete, I throw away the seed and take off again to another branch hanging heavy with the mango. This time a latecomer. A still raw mango. That was a different kind of thrill. Eaten raw, dipped in torrid chillipowder and stinging salt..rapture

At night, I am given the task of going to the kitchen where in huge , cavernous copper vessels, dozens of mangoes lie floating in cool, dark water. They have been plucked at dawn by my grandfather and now lie fresh, fragrant and cool to the touch. At times, ,the elders would ask me to take off my skirt and blouse. And I would be given a mango .The juice might spoil my clothes clucked my grandmother. So there I am, the mango clutched in my throbbing fist, the juice running down my naked body .Satiated , I stand under the tap while the cold water sluices down my limbs and dry clothes await my estatic body.
My grandparents would order mangoes by the basket from Andhra Pradesh, even though the mango trees in our garden were in abundance. Who can resist the Andhra mangoes, with extraordinary color and flavor due to the hot , humid climate? Goods trains would bear the precious burden while we rushed to the railway station to collect our baskets while the guard ticked off each basket according to his list of customers , shoving, and pushing rapturously around him.
Years later, I am intoxicated with the luscious words of the Mango Song in the James Bond film. Dr No. Could anything be more alluring?

Underneath the mango tree
Me honey and me watch for the moon
Underneath the mango tree
Me honey and me make booloolupsu.,

The irresistible calypso beat brings more recollections as I sing while writing this piece. Bollywood films not to be outdone have often
had the heroine biting seductively into a delectable mango while swinging her long plaits out of the way. My husband tells me that many an old Hindi film, was it Sholay. often had the heroine eating mangoes while sitting on a swing wafted to the skies.
It is the fruit of all fruits. The myriad shapes. Round, oval, paisley,,long narrow,, weighing five pounds or as small as a peach. Colors range from sunburst yellow to sunset flaming orange, from emerald green to luscious red.
The names of mangoes are hypnotic ,exotic, splendid, spectacular. I roll them sensuously around my tongue. Alphonos. Shahjejan. Suvarna rekha, Rumani Banganapalee., Chitla, Sharifa, Totapari, Dusseheri,. and the green , raw mango was always called Polly mango because it resembled a parrot’s beak and all parrots were called Polly right? Belize , on the other side of the world also has mangoes. They are called .Slipper. Julie, Thundershock, Bellyful . Not appetizing names but who cares?…

. The pickles..Raw mangoes, diced, shredded, whole laid out in the sun, seasoned and stored in jars for a whole year to embellish any meal.

Today I can order mango salsa, chicken with mango chutney, salmon sauteed in mango puree, or the mango-gazpacho where the mango is smothered with jalapeno chile, corn, garlic, red peppers, basil, cilantro, orange juice, white vinegar, lemon juice, cucumber and scallions. But no unique fusion can top the memory of the pristine mango. And now Americans brace yourself to slurp over the most sumptuous fruit, the Indian mango.
ends

ends

[Pallavi Shah]

The one thing that made the excruciating heat of the Indian summer tolerable was the sheer delight of having mangoes.

All this also made me nostalgic for my childhood: remembering the hunt for the perfect fruit, how carefully they were selected,the endless variety of types and flavours,how an entire room was devoted to housing them layered in straw, at varying degrees of ripeness so every day they were turned and checked and the still warm, ripe fruits were brought out for the family to eat...this was a never to be forgotten experience. Of the many ways we found to consume them the Gujerati way of having ras with hot hot puris was my favourite!!! Yum.

Having just returned from India and gorged on as many Alphonsoes as I could commandeer, in every conceivable way, I have to remind myself that locally they have skyrocketed in cost because the overseas demand has caused local shortages. And this too before the US market opens up.

But my special delight was in telling the customs officer - whose only question was "any mangoes?" - that there was no longer any need to smuggle them in as it was going to be legal soon enough. About time.

[c. m. naim]

India produces superb mangoes, and in hundreds of varieties, But it would be wrong to name any one variety as the best. Alphonso may be adored in Mumbai, but in Lucknow they swear by Dussehri and Khajri. For my money, the Banarsi Langda far surpasses any variety, though I'm not from Varanasi.

I think the most meaningful comment was made by Suvir Saran: "If we can get them at good ripeness...." That is the crux of the matter. Mangoes, like papayas and some other fruit, need to ripen properly, both on the tree and later. They will ripen to fulness at home, but only if they were picked at the right stage of ripening on the tree, and if they are not chilled to the core while bring brought to the market. Let's not be too quick to 'diss' the mangoes from Mexico. The many complaints arise mainly because they are npicked too early and then flown here almost ice-cold. Also we most likely get only those 'hardy' varieties that travel best. For that very reason, the consumers in Delhi, for example, never get to taste so many of those more delicate varieties that grow all over North India. The large scale commercialization of mango orchards, mainly to serve big metropolitan areas, has severely damaged the Indian mango. A great many varieties have become extinct, and more will.

I have very much enjoyed the local mangoes whenever I found them properly half-ripe and managed to get them ripen properly at home, wrapped in paper or filded in a blanket. My own gripe is that the Mexican mangoes are not as prominently and enjoyably fragrant as the mangoes I remember. I should underscore the word 'remember,' for even in India that is beginning to be an issue. The culprit in both cases is the chemical fertilizer and the pesticides that are now commonly used.

Another related matter: most people now are so accustomed to slicing a mango that they have no idea that what they eat are the 'grafted' or mangoes. An older generation of aficionados will enthusiastically proclaim the joy of 'sucking' the juice out of a fully ripe mango. They will point out that while many persons would feel bloated after eating just a couple of mangoes, many more can sit down an enjoy a bucketful of the or 'sucking; variety. They are also the kind that are best enjoyed in a bathtub

[Ellen S]

Well it's about time, isn't it? Hooray for diplomacy and trade, if diplomacy and trade are responsible for this great leap forward.

Good thing that you showed us pictures of The Event, Sree. Who would believe such progress without seeing it happen? I hope it won't take too long for these True Mangoes to make their way into the hinterland such as Portland OR!

[Ram]

it is a historic event. saja reporters should get pulitzers for reporting the mango story. definitely a great moment about desi mangoes in the news ....

[Lalita Aloor Amuthan]

Hmm ... interesting. Incidentally, my mother-in-law did bring in a dozen alphonso mangoes when she visited two years ago although it didn't occur to any of us then that it was such a no-no. i guess she slid through the cracks in customs. thankfully we don't have to worry about that anymore!

[Ben]

Aren't we getting crazy over trivias? why saja doesn't worry about more
humane issues?

[B. Krishnakumar]

Hope you have tasted Goa's Mankurath mango. It's deliciously sweet.
Used to be available at Rs. 10 a dozen three decades ago. Today it's
a prized export item. Prices have shot up to Rs. 500/Rs.600 a dozen
in Goa. I am sure the Americans would find mankrath irresistible.

Cheers,
B. Krishnakumar

[Shuja]

This is indeed good news. When I was at the IAEA in Vienna we used to get
Indian and Pakistani crates of mangoes for sale in our Cafeteria at the
Vienna International Centre during the summer. For some reason the shipments
alternated so one did not have to choose between the two. What joy!

A question: aren't these mangoes early for their season? Normally the best
mangoes in the sub continent arrive once Summer is in full swing and
'barsaat' arrives. Would anyone know where these were grown? Perhaps India
has a longer mango season than Pakistan does because of its geographical
'depth' southwards.

Shuja

[Syed]

Mangoes are like chasing the monsoon, have read a book by
Alexender Slater with the same name. indian mangoes season is
roughly 4 to 5 months. different varities comes to the market at
different times. The early ones are from the south. thats just
before the on set of the mosoon. The different varities then keeping
on adding in its journey from South to the North. While the Indian
monsoon travel travel from south to the north to hit the Khyber pass,
the mangoes take a journey to the east to meet the indian ocean. the
dashris, the chausas, the langras, the maldah's are all mid way
between the end of the mango season. They all are grown in?the indo-
gangetic plains. One more peculiar feature of the mangoes in India
is?they grow in size as the season comes to a close. The Kishan Bhog
from Bengal is half a Kg in weight. Cheers- Syed