The Jewish Mango

Few of you know that, when it comes to food, I’m an Asiaphile.  This is to say, when I eat out, I go Asian…whether it’s Indian, Southeast Asian, Japanese, Korean or Chinese, I’m happy no matter what.  A few years ago, in my casual review of the New York Times, an article ran about a fruit I’d never heard of, but immediately became obsessed with. 

Most people know about the lychee, possibly know about the rambutan, and maybe have heard about the durian, the king of fruit…one so fragrant that it’s banned from air-travel.  But you haven’t eaten fruit until you’ve tasted fresh Mangosteen!

What is it?  Found primarily in Southeast Asia, it's a tree fruit with a hard, almost woody outside skin which protects a juicy white pulp fruit that has a tangy ambrosia taste...almost like a citrus marshmallow.  It's super sweet and delicate and, until recently, illegal to sell in the US.  Why?  Not because the United States was worried that the tree would kill off our lovely indigenous palms (it's tropical), but because of a specific fruit fly which natively lives in and around the fruit tree in that part of the world.  We don't need more pests here.  

However, the States, recognizing that their might be demand for this ridiculously tasty fruit, allowed for specimens to be irradiated as to eradicate any remaining flies and then sold, albeit sparsely.  Also, crops of the slow-growing tree were started in both Florida and Puerto Rico years ago, and, pardon the pun, the fruits are their labor are finally...uh...ripening.  You can even get them on Amazon for a ridiculous price.

That said, on Mother's day, our family was walking around Chinatown and, lo!  What was in the street fruit-stand?  A box of unmistakable mangosteens!  There wasn't a sign, and the box was slightly behind the other fruit such as oranges and durian.  How much, I asked.  The answer was $9 per pound.  Sold.  I'll take a pound.  My take resulted in 7 mangosteens...but now what.  I've never had fresh.  My only experience, to date, was the canned mangosteens purchased from the Asian food market.  Only one way to find out.

As I suggested in my description, the outer hull was almost woody in nature.  After creating the initial cut, I pried the shell open until it broke naturally, revealing the almost surreal white fruit held within.  Like an orange, the mangosteen is lobed...but without the fibrous strings that an orange might have. 

Each lobe was juicy and extremely delicate.  Using a spoon, I carefully extracted the fruit which gave off a slightly sweet smell.  Separated a lobe and popped it into my mouth.  Delicious.  The flavor is light and delicate.  And, due to the fragility of the fruit, it almost melts in your mouth.  There's a slight tangy flavor, but the overwhelming taste is like the combination of a very light peach flavor combined with a hint of orange or pineapple and almond.  Each one I opened was ripe and as sweet as the last.  Unlike oranges, the flavor and degree of sweetness was fairly consistent between fruits.  

The true test was the 3 and a half year old...who loves fruit, but is extremely hesitant to try new things.  Getting her to put some in her mouth was a challenge as both my wife and I struggled to come up with a familiar description that Johanna was comfortable with.  "It's a new kind of orange."  However, as soon as the first bite was down, her hand came immediately out and asked for the rest.  Success. 

I don't know where the government is right now in allowing these to come into the US or how successful US farms are at getting a crop.  What I do know is that they're not in ShopRite yet.  So, if you find yourself in Chinatown, make sure you sniff these out.  I promise, you won't regret it.