If you are someone who loves snacking on healthy food, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that fruits are your best bet. In fact, many people are fond of exotic fruits, which brings us to the star apple vs. mangosteen topic. So, if you’ve always wondered about the differences between these two tropical fruits, we are ready to share some interesting facts with you.
Star Apple vs Mangosteen
Star Apple
Star apple is a tropical fruit, which was once exotic but has been domesticated. Star apple tends to have a diameter of two to three inches and is pretty famous in Southeast Asia, West Indies, and the Greater Antilles. In addition, when the star apple is ripe, it attains purple skin and has light green areas. Star apple has a star pattern in the pulp, which is pretty refreshing. Its skin is rich in latex, but the skin and rind aren’t edible.
Star apples have flat seeds with a hard texture and a light brown appearance. This fruit is known as a dessert fruit, which is why it’s chilled before serving. This fruit is loaded with antioxidants, and it’s available in three different colors, including yellow, greenish-brown, and dark purple. For the most part, the purple star apple has a dense texture and skin, while the greenish-brown star apples have thin skin, and the pulp has a more liquid texture. On the other hand, the yellow star apple is hard to find.
Munching on star apples is perfect for improving digestive health since it has a high fiber content. In addition, it’s a great source of vitamin C and helps control diabetes. The best thing about regular consumption of star apple is that it helps prevent anemia. However, before you eat these fruits, you need to be extremely careful about washing the fruits’ exterior, and it has to be cut along the equator. However, you have to remove the skin and seeds because these two parts of the fruit aren’t edible.
As far as the edible part is concerned, the star apple has white and milky flesh. In addition, it has a rubbery membrane that’s edible as well. The flesh can be scooped with the spoon, and it’s consumed in fresh form. On top of everything, it can be used in sherbet and ice cream because it’s considered to be a dessert fruit. All in all, the flesh is juicy, and the taste might remind you of condensed milk with the undertone of blueberry flavors.
Mangosteen
Mangosteen is commonly known as purple mangosteen, and it’s also a tropical fruit and is native to the Indian Ocean and other tropical lands. It can be grown in Colombia, Florida, Puerto Rico, Southeast Asia, and southwest India. The fruit is known for its tangy, sweet, and juicy flavor, which has become everyone’s favorite. In addition, the fruit has fibrous, and vesicles filled with fluid, which enhances the overall flavor.
Mangosteen has the deep purple-reddish rind in its ripe form, but it’s not edible. However, the flesh is edible and is pretty fragrant. There are seeds in the fruit, but they are shaped like almonds. For the longest time, it wasn’t legal to import mangosteen in the U.S., but they are available now. In fact, you will be able to find fresh mangosteen from local North American markets. All in all, they are available in frozen, fresh, and canned forms.
When it comes down to the application, mangosteen can be made into jams, and it’s also served on the dessert menu. In fact, many people use the ripe mangosteen in salads, and it actually tastes amazing. On top of everything, mangosteen is available at affordable rates in Canada and the United States (yes, they are easy to find). Once ripe, the fruits attain a soft texture, and you can easily score the shell with a knife and can be pried with thumbs to pull apart the fruit to reveal the flesh.
In fact, you don’t necessarily need a knife to cut mangosteen but make sure you don’t light-colored clothes because its juice can stain the fabric as well as the skin. When it comes down to the flavor, mangosteen has a sweet and refreshing flavor, and many people think that it’s flavored like peach and banana.