Mango wars: How summer turns fierce and fruity in the UAE
The battle lines are drawn. The king has arrived. And in homes and markets across the UAE, everyone's taking sides.
As mango season kicks into high gear, expats from India and Pakistan, armed with nostalgia, pride and very strong opinions, are reigniting a familiar fight: Which mango truly rules them all?
Across supermarkets, WhatsApp groups and weekend gatherings, the debate heats up: Alphonso or Anwar Ratol? Dussehri or Sindhri? Banganapalli or Chaunsa?
To outsiders, it might seem like harmless fruit talk. But for those who grew up with mangoes in their backyard, every box carries something more: memory, pride and the taste of home.
Fittingly, mango is the national fruit of both India and Pakistan, a rare shared emblem in an otherwise divided region.
No wonder it fuels one of the UAE's most anticipated summer rituals: the Mango Wars.
The mango is the national fruit of not one, but three countries—India, Pakistan, and the Philippines.
It's also the national tree of Bangladesh.
For Mumbai-born businessman Ramesh Patel, it's a no-brainer.
'Alphonso from Ratnagiri is the king of all mangoes,' he says, proudly clutching a golden box at Union Coop. 'That aroma, that taste… nothing else comes close.'
Lahore-born marketing executive Ammar Qureshi politely disagrees.
'Alphonso is fine,' he shrugs, 'but if you haven't had an Anwar Ratol, you've missed life. One bite, and you'll never look back.'
This rivalry is as personal as it is regional.
India, home to more than 1,000 mango varieties, ships top contenders like Dussehri, Alphonso, Banganapalli, and Kesar to the UAE. Pakistan, not to be outdone, counters with Sindhri, Langra, Chaunsa, and the cult favourite, Anwar Ratol.
'You won't find another fruit that stirs this kind of passion,' says Furqan Ahmed, store manager at Mangolicious, one of the UAE's earliest mango delivery services.
'People form WhatsApp groups just to coordinate weekly orders. It's a phenomenon.'
His company sold over 12 tonnes of mangoes last year, catering to a fiercely loyal customer base.
'People from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi find Alphonso too perfumed. Mumbai folks say Dussehri lacks punch. It all depends on where your taste buds were raised.'
Hailing from Azamgarh himself, Furqan doesn't hide his bias. 'Dussehri, any day,' he says.
Even within varieties, distinctions matter. 'Our next bestseller is Langda, though some call it Malda. Technically, they're different,' he explains.
'Malda is rounder and typically from Bihar or Bengal. Langda is longer, and the best ones are Kagzi Langdas from Benares. Thin skin, rich pulp, unforgettable fragrance.'
This season, Alphonso faced a shaky start.
'Ratnagiri's crop wasn't great due to erratic weather,' says Furqan. 'But people will still pay for their favourite.'
The Mango Price Board:
>> Indian Alphonso: 4kg box – Dh55 (10–12 pieces)
>> Indian Dussehri: 3kg box – Dh55 (10 pieces)
>> Pakistani Anwar Ratol: 3.5kg box – Dh55 (8–9 pieces)
>> Pakistani Chaunsa: 3.5kg box – Dh50 (8-9 pieces)
>> Pakistani Sindhri: 6–7kg box – Dh50 (14–16 pieces)
Prices typically dip once Sindhri floods the market, creating a sweet supply shock that mango lovers eagerly await.
At Pakistan Supermarket, mango mania hits full throttle by May.
'In 2020 and 2021, we delivered mangoes in a Lamborghini,' recalls managing director Mohammad Jehanzeb, grinning. 'The king should travel like a king.'
It wasn't a gimmick. 'We didn't charge extra — just a minimum order of Dh100. I'd personally deliver the box and give the customer a quick spin in the Dh1.2 million car. It was our way of honouring the fruit.'
His brother, Gul Raiz Mohammad Yaseen, says demand peaks by the end of May. 'Our first Sindhri shipment lands around May 20, followed by Chaunsa and Anwar Ratol,' he says. 'Even Alphonso fans secretly buy Anwar Ratol. They just won't admit it.'
The devotion is real — and well earned.
'Anwar Ratol inspires near-religious loyalty,' says mango enthusiast Rehan Khan. 'But few realise it actually began its journey in pre-Partition India.'
According to Khan, the original Ratol tree still stands in a tiny village near Delhi.
'A grower migrated to Punjab before Partition, took a sapling with him, and named it after his father, Anwar.'
That twist sparks pride on both sides of the border. 'Of course it started in India,' says Delhi resident Pankaj Tyagi. 'Even Pakistan's best mango has Indian roots. But we'll let them enjoy the flavour.'
Still, Qureshi remains unmoved.
'Our soil makes the difference,' he insists. 'Pakistani mangoes are juicier, more aromatic, richer in flavour. Every bite tastes like sunlight soaked into the fruit.'
And it's not just South Asians who are hooked.
'Mango crates are also popular gifts, not just among Indians and Pakistanis, but also among Emiratis,' says Gul. 'They love the aroma and sweetness. It's common to see mango boxes exchanged during summer majlis visits.'
Just across the border, in the mango belt of northern India, another legend ripens every summer: the Dussehri.
'I grew up in Malihabad,' says Imad Malik, CEO of Sharraf Exchange, referring to the mango-rich town near Lucknow. 'Dussehri isn't just a fruit—it's poetry. Urdu poet Saghar Khayyami even wrote an ode to it.'
Malik explains that the region is home to more than just Dussehri.
'We have the best Langda, Chausa, and Lakhnawa Safeda, along with rare gems like Zohra Safeda and Khaso Khas. Those two are so fragrant, people say if you leave one in a room, their aroma fills the entire house.'
He doesn't hold back on Alphonso either. 'Alphonso has good PR. But Lucknow's Safeda has legacy. One is groomed for shelves, the other for hearts.'
Southern India brings its own contender to the table.
'Banganapalli from Telangana—that's the real deal,' says Suma Reddy from Hyderabad.
'Big, bold, with the perfect balance of sweetness and tang. Alphonso is all gloss and packaging. Banganapalli is substance.'
The UAE also sees arrivals from Peru, Kenya, Thailand and Yemen. But they rarely stir the same emotion.
'Ngowe from Kenya is fibrous, Valencia Pride from Peru is silky, Nam Dok Mai from Thailand is fragrant, and Yemen's Zabidi has its fans,' says a mango lover. 'But the big fights? Those are still between India and Pakistan.'
The fruit may divide households, but it also brings them together.
'Mango season is madness in my house,' says Sameera Habib, a Pakistani mum of three. 'I get Sindhri for myself, Alphonso for my husband, Dussehri for the kids.'
For many, mangoes don't just bring flavour, they bring back whole summers.
'When I eat a Langra, I'm back in my great-grandmother's orchard,' says Qureshi. 'She'd hand me mangoes in a plastic bag — green, rough, perfect. That taste still hasn't been matched.'
'At the end of the day, we're all on the same team: the mango team.'
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