Inside the tenuous supply chains bringing Pakistan’s beloved mangoes to North America
The Chaunsa mango is an elusive fruit here in the U.S., but it’s a beloved one within the Pakistani American community. For the unfamiliar, Chaunsas are totally unlike the common mangos you’ll find in grocery stores: They are golden-hued, floral-scented, intensely sweet in taste, and custard-like in texture. They’re also very much in demand, yet extremely difficult to secure. For Eater, Ahmed Ali Akbar documents the tenuous path that Chaunsa mangoes travel to get from Pakistan to the U.S. While regulatory hurdles and a narrow shelf life pose challenges, trucks full of the fruit still make successful journeys to communities across the country every year, often with the help of unexpected middlemen and regional Whatsapp group chats with strangers—whose only connection to each other is often just a shared hankering for the Chaunsa.
