Photograph by Kathryn Yu They’re sticky, they’re sweet, they’re incredibly fragrant—and they’re pricey as hell. But, apparently, getting less so. The much-ballyhooed Indian mangoes have landed in the United States for the first time this season, with confirmed sightings at Patel Brothers, the Indian supermarket, in Chicago, New York’s Jackson Heights, and Decatur, Georgia. For seventeen years, Indian mangoes (such as Alphonso, Kesar and Banganpa) were barred from the United States. But that ban was lifted in 2007, and each spring since then, the arrival of the mangoes has been a major event. From the look of this April’s first boxes, prices are easing up. A case of twelve Alphonso mangoes is selling for $25 per box in Chicago,...
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California, long used to exporting fruit, is buzzing about a certain import: mangoes from India have arrived in SoCal. And blogger (and Serious Eater) Marvin has a great comparison, in words and pictures, between regular Mexican-grown variety and the Kesar mangoes from more distant lands. The imports are more than three times as pricey. Marvin's advice: You should also find some buddies who are mad for mangoes and go in on a case with them, that way it's cheaper. My wife and I will probably eat one or two more of the dozen that I bought, and I will probably give the rest of them to my parents, who enjoy eating mangoes with white rice -- a simple, tasty, and...
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Chicago food blog, Drive-Thru, got its hands on some Alphonso mangoes from Patel Bros. [2542 W. Devon Avenue, Chicago, IL]. They're being sold by the case ($35) and moving quickly. Has anyone else spotted Indian mangoes? Let us know where in the comments! Photograph from cinnachick on Flickr...
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