Today’s featured tropical fruit is the mangosteen. Never tried one? Then you’re in for a treat!
Mangosteen is another excellent Southeast Asian fruit that has been called by some “the queen of fruits.” They are about the size of a tangerine with smooth, hard purple or red skin.
The fruit inside is white, pulpy, delicately flavored (some say it tastes like peaches), and melts in the mouth. Mangosteens are small and roundish so look out for them next time you are at the market.
There are few if any, seeds, and these are small and thin. What are you waiting for?
Is Mangosteen Good For You?
You may have heard these fruits referred to as “superfoods.” They’re rich in vitamin C and some B vitamins plus minerals like magnesium, iron, calcium, and manganese.
People with bleeding disorders should probably avoid this fruit because it can cause the blood to clot less easily. Those who are going for surgery should not eat mangosteen two weeks before the procedure.
How To Tell If A Mangosteen Is Ripe
These fruits are pricy outside of Asia so you’ll want to be sure you get ripe ones so that you can enjoy every morsel. Because the skin is hard, it can be a little difficult to judge the fruit’s ripeness.
That said, the skin should be firm but should yield to gentle pressure with the thumb. If it is extremely hard, the fruit is probably old. Look for ones that have fresh-looking green tops.
The skin should be glossy and deep purple. Fruits that are soft or brownish are old and overripe. Give the fruit a sniff. If it has an unpleasant odor, it is probably overripe or bad.
How To Use Your Ripe Mangosteen
- As with many luscious fruits, they’re best enjoyed simply. Cut through the hard skin to reveal the segments of white fruit inside. Remove the segments and enjoy them one by one. You can eat the small seeds or discard them – the choice is yours. They’re beautiful if cut in half (through just the skin, not through the fruit) then served on a platter along with dessert forks.
- Enjoy them as soon as you can after buying them as they don’t age well.
- Mangosteens are delicious served with vanilla ice cream…
- Make a sorbet or smoothie with them
- Mix the flesh into a fruit salad
Fun Fact
Mangosteens were banned in the US until 2007. This is because the fruit is highly susceptible to the Asian fruit fly and officials were afraid that bringing the fruit into the country from Thailand would import the fruit flies with it.
The fruit is now allowed to be imported but only if it has been irradiated.
The Bottom Line
Whether you are harvesting mangosteen or want to purchase this fruit from a market, you should know how to tell if the fruit is ripe. We hope this article will be useful to you when choosing mangosteens to eat.