Of course, if you happen to live in Southeast Asia, do bother. Bother frequently. But I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to America, who has only recently permitted this most elusive of fruits on its shores.
I thirst for mangosteens. When permitted, I glut on them. If I see one, I have to buy it, however implausible the merchant–which has led to awakenings of varying levels of rudeness. The rudest happened in a tiny town in northern France, in bleak midwinter, at an indoor market famed for its produits exotiques. I tore open the fruit as soon as it had been paid for, only to find sad, foul-smelling little husks where plump white arils should have been.
The edible part of the mangosteen resembles an albino satsuma, peeled. Each segment is about the size of a fat clove of garlic, and its texture is similar to that of a ripe peach, if a little more fibrous. The flesh is exceptionally fragrant, something like a lychee in aroma and white grape juice in taste, with a nice burst of acidity to balance the sweetness. If it weren’t so hard to find in the West, I’m sure that the mangosteen would have far more of a presence in the tasting notes that accompany eisweins, gewürztraminers and sweet rieslings. The flavors are very similar.
I had read about their arrival in the US, of course, but I had also read that they were being sold for anything from $45 a pound to $11 per fruit. That is to say, a little pricey–even for a fanatic like me.
It’s been a little more than a year since the New York Times first announced the arrival of the mangosteen, and the mania seems to have settled down somewhat. On Tuesday, I found a street vendor in Chinatown selling the fruit for $8 a bag.
It was no measly bag, either.
Sadly, this was never going to be a repeat of the night in Nanjing, in 1998, when my classmate and I snuck out of our hotel–the seniors’ trip to China was a yearly tradition at my highschool–and came back with three or four pounds of the ripest, lushest mangosteens from the night market. We finished them off in one ecstatic sitting, and my fingernails were purple for days afterwards from ripping apart the shells. [Update: As an in-the-know, on-the-scene commenter has pointed out, we were not in Nanjing. I remembered visiting a Sun Yat-Sen memorial on the trip; I now realize it was simply one of many Sun Yat-Sen memorials and not THE Sun Yat-Sen memorial in his native city. Next I’ll be telling you that it wasn’t actually mangosteens, it was a six-pack of beer.]
The ones I bought in Chinatown, sadly, were too solid to rip apart at all. When a steak knife failed, I had to jack them open with my eight-inch chef’s knife.
The arils were not quite the dry pellets I had encountered in France, but were splotched with pink and yellow where they should have been glistening white. The fragrance was dull, the texture slimy. Some of the fruit had begun to ferment, and gave off a powerful scent of alcohol when opened–and not in a good way.
I don’t want to give up hope, and if anyone here in New York has had a more positive experience with imported mangosteens, please let me know. But it makes sense that a delicate tropical fruit would fare poorly in transcontinental travel, so I’m not holding my breath.
- BROWSE
- « East-West Eggs Benedict
- » A Small Request
Related Posts
COMMENTS / 28 COMMENTS
I’ve never even heard of a mangosteen, but I am so happy with the frequency you’ve been updating as of late. Keep up the good work. You are always a pleasure to read.Aero added this comment on September 04 2008 at 7:49 pm
Now that you’ve told me not to bother, I must find them!Natty added this comment on September 04 2008 at 11:13 pmI’ll let you know how the west coast is fairing.
I had mangosteens when I was in Vietnam about fifteen years ago. I haven’t had one since, but I vividly remember the texture and taste. And it amazed me when they arrived here and people went crazy trying to get them. I don’t think they are worth the price, especially since it probably cost me $0.05 for one over there. It’s dumbfounding how some people will bend over backwards for a relatively new ingredient.Chewy added this comment on September 05 2008 at 12:01 am
Also, have you had dragon fruit? They are gorgeous but don’t taste like much. Like a Hollywood starlet.
Hi, Aero. Thanks, although I’m somewhat less happy about the frequency at which I’ve been posting, which hints at procrastination in other areas.Michele Humes added this comment on September 05 2008 at 3:10 am
Natty, you’re such a contrarian. Don’t come running to me when you’ve spent 15 bucks on two slimy, alcoholic mangosteens…
Chewy, dragon fruit has probably the least satisfying appearance to taste ratio of all fruits. And I would definitely bend over backwards for mangosteen if it actually survived the journey intact, which it clearly hasn’t.
Hmm those mangosteens don’t look right. Could they have been defrosted? I’m not Mr. seasonal but I think they’re at their best around springtime.Jude added this comment on September 05 2008 at 8:57 am
In Chicago we had some great irradiated mangosteens imported from Thailand.
Yes, they were marked “keep frozen”.Michele Humes added this comment on September 05 2008 at 9:16 am
Irradiated–how much did they cost?
The fact they’re cr*p just makes you want the real thing more… then after a while you start to forget how bad they were… then the ones on sale start to look good again…Tom Aarons added this comment on September 05 2008 at 12:55 pm
You know how it goes!
I kept looking at the first image in this post and thinking…this reminds me of something.Michele Humes added this comment on September 05 2008 at 3:18 pm
Then it hit me: Marvin the Martian, decapitated and brained.
“Brained”, by the way, is one of my favorite verbs.
My fondness for the mangosteen is as great as yours and while I’ve seen them selling here, I’ve never bought any. I knew a frozen and defrosted mangosteen could never compare to anything we grew up with and I didn’t want to taint my palette!Marisa added this comment on September 05 2008 at 10:49 pm
Marisa, you’re the friend I’m talking about in Nanjing–have you forgotten?Michele Humes added this comment on September 06 2008 at 9:53 am
I cry for you in North AmericaKat added this comment on September 06 2008 at 5:48 pm
:’-(
Mangosteens have to be one of my favorite fruits. Although I’ve been going to Thailand for years, I’d only tried them on my most recent trip. My roommate and I could easily kill two kilos in a sitting. Divine.Jan added this comment on September 06 2008 at 6:11 pm
I have only had ever had the freeze-dried mangosteens thay sell at Trade Joe’s. I need to go to Asia to try the real stuff someday.Emmy added this comment on September 06 2008 at 6:19 pm
And, Chewy, I’m sorry you’ve had a bad experience with dragonfruit. I’ve never eaten them here, but they are popular in Peru (where I’m from) where they are called “pitajayas”. They are the sweetest, juiciest fruit ever. They taste like a cross between a honeydew and a lychee but sweet, sweet, sweet.
Irradiated was $9 a pound and worth every cent. Didn’t have the green caps but the inside was totally white.Jude added this comment on September 06 2008 at 11:23 pm
Just want to share tips how to choose the right mangosteens.Ecki added this comment on September 07 2008 at 7:56 am
1. Squeeze the fruit first and if it feels too solid don’t take it. The nice ones will feel bouncy.
2. don’t pick the ones that are too big. This is from my experience I found the small ones came out perfect than the big ones.
3. Mangosteens are usually be eaten with Durians because they cool down the heat from Durians.
4. Don’t let the purple liquid from the skin stain your cloths, the color won’t come off.
Lastly, do you know that Mangosteen is the Queen of fruits?
What is the red outer shell like? Not edible?Sayuri added this comment on September 07 2008 at 10:36 am
Kat, can you get decent mangosteens in the UK?Michele Humes added this comment on September 07 2008 at 11:00 am
Jan - agreed. People don’t know what they’re missing…
Emmy, what do the dried mangosteens taste like? I’m sorry to report that I, too, have had bad experiences with dragonfruit. All the ones I tried in Asia just didn’t taste like anything. It was like watermelon with the flavor sucked out.
Ecki, all this is great advice. Sadly, there’s no real chance to implement it here in New York, where I fear that mangosteens may be uniformly bad.
Sayuri - not edible. Quite bitter, too, to go by the taste left on my fingertips when I struggle to open one.
Michele,Emmy added this comment on September 07 2008 at 12:26 pm
Freeze-dried mangosteens taste a bit like sweet lychees, but with a really different texture. All the water has been sucked out of them so they’re really crunchy (a texture a bit like cheese puffs - gross sounding, but good!). They still have the seeds in too, which are crunchy and nutty-like. If you see them at Trader Joe’s, try them. They’re expensive but really really good.
Michele - nope, can’t get them in the UK as far as I can see, but I am lucky enough to still be trekking over to HK and the Philippines at least once a year. Plus Mum comes over 2 or 3 times, so it’s nice to know the option is always there… have to say it’s a tough choice, mangosteens or filipino mangos. I’ve tended to go for the latter but may recommence my mangosteen obsession.Kat added this comment on September 07 2008 at 1:27 pm
Haven’t bought any Mangosteens in the states since they became “legal” but my fear that they would be crap is confirmed……and, yes, dragonfruit is highly overrated but still very tasty and not the least bit bland….Chexbres added this comment on September 07 2008 at 10:58 pm
This year in Beijing the mangosteens seemed good for only a few weeks. Around mid-June all the ones I bought in markets turned out like how you described your NY ones. Sigh.Diana added this comment on September 07 2008 at 11:53 pm
I miss mangosteens so much and think about them on a regular basis. There is a big mangosteen-shaped hole in my life.Laura added this comment on September 11 2008 at 4:13 pm
Mangosteens, yes. Does this mean I’ve been to Nanjing?lalarr added this comment on September 11 2008 at 10:26 pm
Lara, don’t you remember going to the Sun Yat-Sen botanical garden? Although my partner in mangosteen crime was Marisa.Michele Humes added this comment on September 12 2008 at 8:56 am
Wow, I had no idea that trip extended beyond Guangdong (and even less of an idea about your and Marisa’s ’steen binge).lalarr added this comment on September 15 2008 at 10:34 am
I’m so well travelled! Awesome.
All right, you’ve got me. Correction made.Michele Humes added this comment on September 15 2008 at 11:34 am
Actually, I kind of wish you’d perpetuated the myth. I was genuinely pleased to think I’d visited Jiangsu. I suppose I’ll now have to drown my disappointment in a glut of fat, juicy, locally available mangosteens. Ah well, there are worse things.lalarr added this comment on September 15 2008 at 11:52 am
ADD A COMMENT
