Washington, June 11:
From Seattle to Los Angeles and from New Jersey to Washington DC, Indian mangoes are triggering a summer buying frenzy across the United States, with shipments selling out within hours at major retailers as demand surges for varieties such as Kesar, Alphonso and Langra.
India’s Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra says the fruit’s growing popularity reflects both diaspora nostalgia and widening American appreciation for Indian produce.
For decades, Indian Americans returning from summer visits home would carry memories of Alphonso, Kesar, Langra and Dussehri mangoes. Today, many of those same varieties are appearing in mainstream American retail stores, bringing a taste of India to consumers thousands of miles away.
“You know, we all have a sense of diaspora, particularly in the US a sense of summer nostalgia as I call it when it comes to mango. Summer vacations remind us of the times when, we will enjoy mango and the deliciousness of this fruit to our heart’s content,” Kwatra told IANS ahead of a mango festival being organised by the Embassy of India in Washington later this month.
That nostalgia is now finding its way into American supermarkets.
“But we are now facing a very, very happy situation where this nostalgia is now available with American retailers,” he said.