Mangosteen How To Eat It

I am obsessed with fruit especially tropical fruit that we don’t regularly see here in Arizona. It is so fun tasting new fruits as well as eating my favorites. One of my new favorite fruits is the Mangosteen. If you have never tried Mangosteen you are in for a treat.

In this post, you will learn where the Mangosteen comes from and where it grows. You will also learn what the health benefits are, how to eat it, and what a Mangosteen tastes like to me. Let’s get started!

Where does Mangosteen come from?

The Mangosteen is native to the Islands around the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. They are widely cultivated in Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra, Southwest India, and the Philippines among other countries in that region. And have been grown there for many hundreds of years.

In the mid-1800s the tropical fruit was introduced to the Western Hemisphere. The West Indies was one of the first places it was cultivated, with Jamaica being the main country. Later it spread to places like Puerto Rico, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and they even grow in Florida.

They grow mainly in tropical climates. Here in the United States they can be hard to find and are very expensive, I have paid $17.99 a pound for them. I find them, when in season, at my local chain Asian Supermarket called HMart. During the summertime check your local Asian market and you may be lucky to find them.

Dubbed the “Queen of Fruit” in Southeast Asia, and I can see why. The Durian is nicknamed the “King of Fruit” however, I really think that title should belong to the Mangosteen, haha.

What are the health benefits?

This tropical fruit is very nutritious. Here are a few of the health benefits of the amazing Mangosteen:

• Low in calories
• Rich in Antioxidants
• Moderate amount of Vitamins and minerals like, Vitamin C, Vitamin B9, Vitamin B1 and B2, Manganese, Copper
• Decent amount of fiber
• Supports blood sugar control
• Promotes a healthy immune system

For more health benefits visit Healthline.

How to eat Mangosteen?

Mangosteens are pretty easy to cut open and eat, but it isn’t super intuitive just by looking at them. You can tell if it is ripe when it feels heavy for its size, is smooth and the skin is purple. Also, it will yield slightly to pressure when pressing the side.

Take a sharp knife, and score the fruit around its equator. A serrated blade seems to work well, but a sharp paring knife works great too. Don’t cut it too deeply only a little more than 1/8th of an inch.

Then you can squeeze it gently and it will crack easily along the cut then just pry it open in half. That white center is the flesh that you eat. The rind or skin is inedible, so throw it out, or compost it.

Another common method of opening it is called the compression method. You will put it in the palm of your hands and squeeze which will cause it to crack open. Then you just pry it open with your hands. That way is messier and doesn’t give you a clean opening, like using the knife.

To eat it, you can just grab the white flesh with your fingers and pop it in your mouth or use a spoon and scoop it out. You can also just take a bite out of it. There may be some small or larger seeds in it. The seeds are edible, but sometimes taste a little bitter.

I normally eat around any large seeds and just eat the really small seeds.

What does Mangosteen taste like?

Now, I am sure you are wondering what Mangosteen tastes like. Although taste is certainly subjective, I will try and describe how it tastes to me.

First of all the flesh is extremely juicy. It is very easy to chew and tastes a little tart with an explosion of sweetness. The taste reminds me of a mixture between lychee, peach, strawberry, and pineapple. There seems to be a slight floral note and definitely has a tropical taste.

I can eat these all day long, they are that good. Of course, that would put a damper on my pocketbook. I can definitely see why these are called the “Queen of Fruits”.

Have you ever tried a Mangosteen? If so, let me know in the comments what you think about them and how much they cost where you live. If not, I hope you get a chance to try this amazing fruit sometime.

Watch the video I made about the Mangosteen!

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