News Desk |
Pakistani mangoes enticed the residents of Dubai who are alluring themselves with the sweetness of mangoes at the ongoing ‘Pakistan Mango Festival’ hosted by Pakistan Consulate in Dubai at Versace Hotel, situated alongside Dubai creek. The three-day festival commenced on the 11th and will continue till 13th July 2019.
Nearly 19 varieties and 800 dishes of mangoes are displayed at the festival. First-of-its-kind in the Emirates, the Mango Festival attracted a large number of foreign diplomats and people of various nationalities.
Ahmed Amjad Ali, the Consul General of Pakistan, speaking to the media stated that the purpose of the festival is to acquaint people of different nationalities with the high-quality production of mangoes in Pakistan.
Pakistan is home to about 250 varieties of mangoes and is the sixth largest exporter of the fruit in the world. “We currently export to 22 countries and we want to increase our exports to the UAE,” said Ali.
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“Diplomats of more than 30 countries and representatives of 12 business councils participated in the inaugural ceremony and it showed the interest of people in Pakistani mangoes,” he added. Ali informed that Sindhi and Chaunsa from Sindh and Balochistan are favourites and the most loved.
“This week has the maximum variety of mangoes because the season in Sindh is ending and the season in Punjab is just beginning,” said Ali. Pakistan has been exporting mangoes to the UAE, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, the US, and the EU.
It is currently eyeing an export of 100,000 metric tonnes of mangoes this year in return of $800 million in foreign exchange. The country’s production of mangoes is estimated to be at 1.2 million tonnes a year and exported 75,000 metric tonnes last year.
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After a gap of six-years Pakistan Consulate has organised this festival, last held in 2011. The ‘King of fruits’, mango, has been infused in every dish served at the dinner on the very first night of the event.
Chef De Cuisine of Giardino restaurant of the Versace Hotel, Dillu Stephen, stated they were provided with 700-800 Kgs of mangoes to prepare exotic dishes for the guests. He explained: “We tried a mix of cuisines. On the opening night we focused on Asian cuisines like Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian dishes.”
“The most interesting dishes tonight are the Arabic mezzes that we had fun creating.”
He added: “It’s easy to create desserts with mangoes, but what was challenging were recipes such as Nachos with mango salsa and mango lamb curry. The consistency had to be right and the taste could not overpower the authentic and expected taste.”