Thanks to modern shipping technology and reduced import restrictions, the exotic purple Mangosteen is becoming available on American markets. Just recently, the tropical delicacy, known as the queen of fruits, sold for as much as 40 dollars a kilo in New York shops, but the price is expected to drop as better methods of importing the delicate evergreen fruit are developed.
For centuries, mangosteen was almost unseen in the western hemisphere, and certainly in North America. Without modern techniques for preservation, the delicacy could only be eaten and enjoyed in locations within a few degrees of the equator. Described as a subtle delicacy, the fruit was reputedly sought after by Queen Victoria, who was willing to pay 100 pounds to anyone supplying her with the rarity.
Mangosteen is the produce of a tropical evergreen tree that grows 20-80 feet tall and is deep reddish purple when ripe, and its flavor is tangy, juicy and somewhat fibrous. The outer shell is inedible and must be pried open to reveal the fleshy rind within. Explorer T.W.K. described the experience of eating a Mangosteen thus:
“This pulp melts away in your mouth after the manner of a ripe peach or strawberry; it has a taste which nobody can describe any more than he can tell how a canary sings or a violet smells, and I know of nothing more forcible than the statement of a Yankee skipper who pronounced the mangosteen the “bang-upest fruit” he had ever seen “
The Italian Odoardo Bacarri described it as
“an abundant white juicy pulp, soft, sweet, slightly acidulated, and with a delicate, delicious flavor, which recalls that of a fine peach, muscatel grapes, and something peculiar and indescribable which no other fruit has. ”
Perhaps the greatest cause of excitement for the arrival of Mangosteen on the North America markets, is its novelty. A new natural edible is more of a rarity in a world growing smaller and smaller all the time. For westerners who have become bored with their food choices, Magosteen many be the perfect fruit. It was said about Mangosteen that it could be given to a sick and debilitated invalid who had lost his appetite, and he would still desire it. If he had no appetite for the Mangosteen, then his situation was hopeless.
The fruit is rich in anti-oxidants and believed to prevent cancer and inflammation and dysentery. It is the world’s greatest source of xanthones, containing more than 40 types in its rhine and pericarp. Xanthones are health promoting compounds, which are believed to be anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiseptic. The rind is also rich in tannins, which have anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and astringent properties, and are used for such conditions as diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, and acne.