Mangosteen
Garcinia mangostana, also known as Purple Mangosteen, is usually referred to as
mangosteen. It is a tropical evergreen tree that grows from 20-80 feet tall.
It is believed to have originated in the Sunda and Moluccas Islands
in Indonesia. It is a decidedly tropical tree and will die if the
temperature drops below 40 degrees for more than a few days. It also can
take years to get mangosteen trees to fruit and they don't necessarily fruit
consistently.
The mangosteen's thick rind is deep reddish
purple with a green stem and overlapping top. Botanically, it is an aril
(small single seeds with fleshy fruit around them). Inside the rind, the
flesh is white and is about the size and shape of a tangerine, with four to
eight segments. The fruit is sweet, tangy and citrusy, with flavor and
texture similar to a peach. Recently I found some mangosteens in a
market in San Francisco. The fruit segments inside the thick rind
are small but absolutely delicious!
The fruit begins as white and slowly develops
color as it ripens. Before ripening, the mangosteen shell is fibrous and
firm, but becomes soft and easy to pry open when the fruit ripens. To open a
mangosteen, the shell is usually scored first with a knife. By prying
gently along the scored edges, the rind will finally crack and the fruit can
then easily be opened. The juice from the rind can stain clothing and
skin, and is apparently extremely difficult, if not impossible, to remove from
clothes.
Mangosteen is
considered a superfruit because of its high nutritional value. However,
in some of the mangosteen juices available on the market, parts of the rind are
included, and the rind contains xanthones, which can be toxic if ingested
daily.
There have been heavy
restrictions for importing mangosteens because of the Asian fruit fly.
These restrictions have been eased in the last few years. While it is
rare and difficult to find fresh mangosteens in markets in the U.S., they can
be found either canned or frozen. In my experience, mangosteens may be
delicious but they are very expensive.
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