Introduction
Often described as the “food of the gods” or the “queen of fruits”, the mangosteen is noted for tantalising the tastebuds with the simultaneous explosion of sweet and tart when eating the luscious segments or aril. A common description is sweet, creamy, with hints of citrus, and peach.

The fruit originated in the Malay Archipelago and began finding its way to far-flung places at the start of the 19th century. It is not related to the mango.

Many sources suggest that it is called the queen of fruits because of a tale that says in the mid-19th century Queen Victoria offered a knighthood to anyone who could bring her a mangosteen in prime condition. However, this claim does not appear to be supported by any historical fact. There is a record of the Queen having tried mangosteen in 1891, when she was said to have remarked, via her personal secretary, that “they were quite excellent”.

The mangosteen is richly described by its numerous aficionados, for example, In his book Tropical Fruit, British-born Malaysian author, Desmond Tate, writes, “…the mangosteen is held to be the most delectable of all the tropical fruits, and it has been proclaimed their queen. There is no doubt about the luxury of its taste. It has won unstinted praise down the ages from all who have encountered it."

While food critic R.W. Apple gave the fruit a more erotic description, "moist, fragrant, snow-white segments of ambrosial flesh…so delicate that it melts in the mouth…".

Health Benefits
According to legend, the mangosteen has almost 140 healing properties. The pericarp or rind is still used in Ayurvedic medicine and is also prized for its healing and medicinal properties in many Asian cultures.

For example, the rind is dried and then ground into a powder to treat stomach upsets, or made into an ointment for skin problems. In the West it is lauded as a cure for an extensive range of ailments from depression to cancer, largely because of the antioxidant properties of the rind.

It is also considered a “superfood”, which has four key characteristics. 1) appealing subjective characteristics, such as taste, fragrance and visual qualities, 2) nutrient richness, 3) antioxidant strength, and 4) potential impact for lowering risk against disease.

It is however the inedible rind that contains the antioxidant properties and therefore the most benefit to health and lowered disease risk. While the edible arils only meet the first criterion and as such the superfood label is a misnomer. To capitalise on the high antioxidant levels companies are now processing the whole fruit into commercially available juices and supplements, with varying reports on the success of its ability to heal ailments and cure disease.

It is considered a yin (cool) fruit and is often eaten with durian, which is a yang fruit (hot). In fact, in Taiwan in the 1990’s there was a substantial increase in durian imports, which was paralleled by a rise in mangosteen imports! Perhaps this perfect match factor is why they are often refered to as the king (durian) and queen (mangosteen) of fruits.

The fruit is also rich in potassium, which is necessary for a healthy heart and energy.

Eating Tidbits
The fruit is ripe when it is deep purple.

The number of rosette-shaped stigma lobes at the underside (non-stem end) always correspond to the number of succulent segments, the higher the number the fewer seeds. In Indonesia, it is called the honest fruit due to this corresponding factor and is a popular motif at weddings because of the symbolism.
 
A fresh mangosteen has white seeds in the larger segments (smaller are seedless), while those that have been picked for sometime are brown. Do not eat the seeds unless they have been roasted.

To open – Score the outside with a knife and then pry gently until the rind cracks and the fruit is exposed.

Recipes
Mangosteen and Champagne Sorbet
1 cup of chopped mangosteen segments
1 cup of dry champagne
2 egg whites
3 tablespoons of sugar
6 lime slices
     
Instructions
Peel the mangosteen and chop the fruit, then push the flesh through a fine sieve to extract the puree. Stir the champagne into the puree. Whip the egg whites, mix in the sugar, and then fold the mixture into the fruit puree and freeze. Decorate with lime slices before serving.

Authors note: could also be served with fresh raspberries.

Recipe source:
http://www.capetrib.com.au

Mangosteen Cocktails
For those that like to make their own cocktails mangosteen can be used in a variety of fruit-based cocktail recipes. For example, Mangosteen Margarita or a Mangosteen Martini. Simply substitute the called for fruit with either pureed or chopped mangosteen. The addition of extra sugar syrup and lime/lemon juice may be required.

by Vicki Williams
vicki@womguide.com