The Indian Embassy’s mango tasting event, ‘Taste the Tropical Magic,’ held in Washington DC, drew more than 8,000 visitors, highlighting the growing popularity of Indian produce in the United States.
Indian Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, said the embassy had expected around 8,000 attendees, but the actual footfall far exceeded expectations.
Speaking to ANI, Kwatra said Indian mangoes have now “firmly and squarely embedded” themselves in the tastes of American consumers.
“Look, it’s not really mango diplomacy. It’s essentially a very tiny fraction of the taste of India, which we have tried to showcase here. We were expecting about 8,000 people through RSVPs. Our understanding is that the number has far exceeded that. It also tells us that mango has now firmly and squarely embedded itself in the American taste buds.
But besides mangoes, we also have basmati rice promotion and Indian tea. You should try some Indian tea and Indian coffee. For the first time, I never knew there was olive tea in India. We even have olive tea.
All these things are being showcased on a wonderful day. It was expected to rain, but even the rain gods favoured us, and it has stayed quite dry. People are enjoying themselves. Ultimately, that’s what it’s about,” he said.
He added, “If people enjoy the taste of India through Indian rice, Indian mangoes, Indian tea and coffee, well, that speaks for itself.”
Kwatra said the overwhelming response indicates that such events should be organised more frequently.
“This is clearly a message to us that perhaps it needs to be done more frequently than once a year. We also probably need to broaden our basket of products to showcase. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if you start seeing food promotion events more than once a year—perhaps twice a year,” he said.
The Indian Embassy in the US hosted ‘Taste the Tropical Magic’ on Saturday (local time), celebrating India’s renowned mango varieties with free tastings for visitors.
-ANI
