The first show-and-tell samples of Indian mangos arrived on American shores last week with goverment minister types from both countries trumpeting the landmark trade agreement. Other than this brief story on National Public Radio, that initial trickle of produce hasn’t been reported in very many national outlets.

Well mango fans, D-Day is here. Today, the first volume shipments of the most flavorfully cultivated mangos arrives in US air cargo terminals. Eager consumers can scrum for these expensive gems in specialty grocers this weekend.

The grocer I’m speaking with in Los Angeles’ Little India expects to sell his initial allotment of 50 cases quickly, even at $35 per case (12 large Alphonsos per case). In contrast, a case of Mexican Ataulfos currently sells for about $5 – 8 a case in the Los Angeles region.

One of my sources reports that the mango season in India is nearly over, so I suspect that red tape has stymied the import process for some time. That bottleneck seems to have cleared. My grocer reports, “they opened the flood gates all at once in India, as almost everyone that was in line to import will be getting it on the same day.”

Stay tuned, readers. Mango madness continues this weekend.

I ate my first mango as a ten year old, while spending the summer with relatives in Mexico City. Its bright yellow skin resembled some exotic canary. That cherry popping first bite into its sweet juicy flesh remains more vivid in my memory decades later than my first kiss with ol’ what’s-her-butt.

I returned home, and since then, have only bitter memories because I know how unbelievably good a mango can taste. How can I not be bitter, when the majority of mango cultivars imported into the US are flavorless fiber grenades like the Tommy Atkins variety?

Until now. The USDA will finally allow India’s famous mangos into the country. Indian food authority Madhur Jaffrey introduced NY Times readers to the mangos of her native land in an op-ed piece last year:

“The aim in India had always been to get sweet, melt-in-the-mouth, juicy mangoes with as little stringy fiber as possible… Whether you buy the sweet-and-sour pale-skinned langras of Varanasi or the intensely yellow, sweet dussehris of Lucknow or the satiny, heavenly Alphonsos of Ratnagiri near Bombay, what you will be getting are mangoes that man and nature have perfected together.

When these same mangoes entered Florida in the 19th century, they were mainly dismissed as ‘yard’ mangoes. Too soft for shipping, they were considered lacking in commercial qualities. So all the fiber that had been bred out of them over thousands of years was bred right back, giving America the hard, pale rocks we see in stores today.”

I’m like a little kid at Christmas over this. This week, I went to the Little India enclave in Artesia, CA and scouted out a grocer who’ll directly import Alphonso mangos in about two weeks’ time. He informs me that the bottleneck lies at the only irradiation facility in India that’s able to process them under USDA inspection. Unsurprisingly, there’s a ton of red tape involved. Because they’ll be airfreighted into the country, he expects a hefty price of $2 each, or about $25 / case.

In comparison, I paid $8 for a case of Ataulfos (aka Manila mangos, and sometimes by the brand name Champagne) this week. Ataulfos have until now been the best tasting variety available in this country, and their season in Mexico is under way.

I’m expecting the mindblowing mangos of my childhood, and perhaps setting myself up for disappointment, but I’m hopeful that Indian Alphonsos will live up to the hype. Stay tuned, readers, and I’ll let you know where to get yours in Los Angeles.

Southern California’s blessed with locally grown fruit throughout the year. Citrus is king during these cooler months. Even a mid-sized farmers market like the one at UC Irvine boasts many vendors selling different varieties of lemons (sweet Persian; extremely tart Lisbon; mild aromatic Meyers), oranges (pink and juicy Cara Cara; tart, sanguine blood oranges, several kinds of mandarins; the ever popular navel), and grapefruit scions.

Last weekend, I spied Cal Poly Pomona’s ag school selling a hybrid called a frua, an heirloom love child of a grapefruit and a mandarin orange. It’s the size and shape of the former, its skin color somewhere between the two. Its flesh tempers the tartness of a grapfruit with the juicy, not oversweet flavor of a mandarin.

Most interestingly, the frua’s thin skin is tender and edible, with a mild and pleasant bitterness that might make a terrific marmalade. I bought four of these mongrel fruit with that intent. If you happen to have Grandma Tildy’s killer marmalade recipe in your clutches, help a brother out and post it, willya?

The UC Irvine farmer’s market is held every Saturday morning in the shopping center parking lot at Campus and Bridge. While there’s a wide variety of vegetables and fruit for sale, right now, citrus rules the roost for flavor, variety, and low prices.

I’m not one to post press releasy information, but these free classes caught my eye on the King Arthur Flour website. Starting this week in Southern California and moving eastward through Colorado, Iowa, and Nebraska, the Vermont based baking gurus are taking their bread seminars on the road. I’ve not taken these demonstration classes, so this is not an endorsement, more like a neighborly heads-up on a reputable outfit. And it’s free. I like free.

King Arthur runs the oldest continuously operating mill in the United States, and is the largest of the artisanal milling companies. They make flours for both retail bakers and the commercial trade, such as 50 pound sacks of Sir Lancelot high gluten flour I prefer to bake bagels with. They also sell all manner of baker’s needs through their catalog, publish highly regarded baking books, and offer great information on their website.

Click on the first link above for full details:

Pasadena: January 31, 2007

Ventura: February 1. 2007

Ontario: February 2, 2007

Irvine: February 3, 2007