Your Chance To Try the Most Delicious Fruit Ever
That’s what mangosteen has been called. Until this year, the only way to try the fresh tropical fruit was to travel to Southeast Asia, where it originated; or to get your hands on others grown in Hawaii or Puerto Rico.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture once banned the importation of mangosteens and other fruits from Thailand because of the concern that they might harbor fruit flies that could infect citrus trees in the United States. Thailand, though, agreed to irradiate its shipments (a method that kills pests with radiation). The first shipments now have arrived in the United States, just at the peak harvest season of the fruit.
You’ll pay a dear price for them, too. At 99 Ranch markets, the tangerine- to orange-sized fruit with a dark purple exterior are $8.99 a pound. And finding them is not always easy, either. At 99 Ranch in Cupertino last week, I came up empty-handed. But my trip to the 99 Ranch on Hostetter Road in San Jose a few days later netted me the goods.
So are they really the most amazing fruit you’ll ever taste? I was dubious. I had tried frozen mangosteens in the shell from an Asian market, and wasn’t impressed. I also had tried a mangosteen juice beverage that was just ghastly.
Of course, I had to get the mangosteen open first to get to the edible white flesh inside. And that was no easy task. While a just-picked mangosteen is very soft and easy to open, the ones I had purchased were a challenge. According to a very useful Web site, appropriately enough called Mangosteen.com, the longer a mangosteen sits after harvesting, the more its skin hardens as it loses water. So store any uneaten ones in a partially closed plastic bag in the refrigerator to cut down on moisture loss.
On my first attempt at opening a mangosteen, I used a meat mallet to crack the shell open. On my second attempt, I found a serrated knife also will do the trick if you make a shallow cut all around the equator, then twist the halves apart.
Inside is a soft, slippery white, round fruit that has segments much like an orange. The smaller segments have no seeds; the larger ones do.
The texture is like a lychee, but the flavor is not floral like that. Rather, it’s sweet, but with a beguiling tang reminiscent of tamarind.
So was it worth the price, and all the effort?
You bet.
I keep saying I have to go looking for these in Chinatown. Even in Vietnam they were kind of pricey, but I guess not as expensive as here. BTW, nice photograph! Your makeshift studio is churning out some nice stuff. 😉
If you try the mangosteens here, you’ll have to let me know if they are as good as the ones you had in Vietnam.
Thanks for the kudos on the photography. Although, I’m running out of different dishware to photograph. Hah! I think I’ve exhausted what’s in my kitchen cabinets.
Gosh I love Mangosteens. I grew up in Vietnam and used to eat them all the time, I’ve missed eating them for the last eight years 🙁 Glad they’re being shipped into the country now.
I just discovered your blog through Food Gawker. What a nice portal for foodie news. Mangosteens are considered expensive in Beijing too, but still worth it. Ever since trying them I have been trying to come up with summery recipes…
Hi Carolyn, I found your site through Food Gawker. I saw these Thai Mangosteens on sale at our local Maxim food market on King Rd at Aborn going for $6.99 / lb. I was a bit dubious as to whether they would still be as good after having travelled so far. But you say they’re worth it, even at $9 / lb?
I wonder if they’re as good as the fresh ones I’ve had in Malaysia though…
Aloha,
Nate Lau
San Jose
Actually, mangosteen has been in the United States for a lot longer. That is, if you live in Hawai’i. They’re grown here. And they’re fabulous!!!
Just saying. 😀
My friend Rebecca, who has eaten mangosteens in Thailand thinks the ones she’s had here are just as good. If you try them here, Nate, you’ll have to let me know if you agree. I, myself, am a newbie to mangosteens. This is my first taste of them. I’m glad I now know what the fuss is all about. The flavor is very special indeed.
trader joe’s has dried mangosteens that i’ve tried before, and they’re ok though they’ll never compare to the actual thing. i’ve got to take some time to search for these in chinatown – it’s most likely i’ll find them there.
I’ve never tried dried mangosteens. I’ll have to scour the aisles of my Trader Joe’s to see if I can find them. Thanks for the tip!