The mangosteen -- a tropical fruit about the size of a tangerine, whose leathery maroon shell surrounds moist, fragrant, snow-white segments of flesh. Here in the South East Asian countries, people buy them by the bagful for small change, though it is still a seasonal fruit mainly during the summer periods of May till Aug. If you're familiar with the King of Fruits, Durian which is best known for its heatiness; mangosteen is the opposite of it. That's why where durian is sold, it's best companion is mangosteen 😆
I'm no lover of the mangosteen as it's too cool for my body but when the weather is too hot, I don't mind taking a few myself. As this is my first time buying it from the local fruit stall, I wasn't sure how much it would cost me. But when she told me it was VND140,000 = USD5.97 = MYR25.66, I was indeed shocked. Okay.. it also included 3 large whole mangoes as well. Still quite expensive compared to what I would usually spend on fruits.
There were at least 3 large baskets of mangosteen and I wasn't the only one keen on buying. After all, it is the start of the season so perhaps it is still too early to enjoy this fruit.
The outer shell of the mangosteen is hard as such it takes a certain skill to break it open. Turning the fruit upside down, you will see the design at the bottom of the fruit; similar to a clove. The number of clove flowers will determines the number of white-flesh segments inside. There's also another belief that if it's even or odd number, it represents if it's juicy & sweet, though I don't know if it's true.
When it comes to breaking the outer shell, you need to hold it in between your palm with all ten finger interlock and the bottom of the fruit staring at you. Putting pressure on your palms, press the fruit hard and eventually the bottom will break open. Just be careful, as the red juices from the inside of the shell will flow out and stain your clothing and your hands.
You can choose the remove the entire shell before eating the white-flesh or eat as you go. Whichever way, it still taste good 👍.
I'll definitely share more in my next post. Hope you enjoy my photo taken from my Huawei
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