Delicious Mangosteens: Better Than a Hot Fudge Sundae?
Ever since 2003, when the late great R. W. " Johnny" Apple Jr. wrote about his unabashed love of the once forbidden (at least in the U.S.) mangosteen, I've been hankering to try one. This is what he wrote that got me so excited: "No other fruit, for me, is so thrillingly, intoxicatingly luscious, so evocative of the exotic east, with so precise a balance of acid and sugar, as a ripe mangosteen.... I'd rather eat one than a hot fudge sundae, which, for a big Ohio boy, is saying a lot."
When Johnny Apple says that he would rather eat a mangosteen than a hot fudge
sundae, that's a powerful statement.
Fruitmeister David Karp (the New Yorker once called him the fruit detective) reported last year that the mangosteens were at last coming to the U.S. This year I had read that they were available at Agata & Valentina and Dean & DeLuca in New York, and at Kings Super markets in New Jersey, but I have to admit that the Serious Eats mangosteens came in the mail from the exotic fruit sellers Frieda's Produce. Freida's ships irradiated (that's the only way they're allowed in this country) Thai mangosteens anywhere and everywhere there is a mangosteen lover.
Getting It Open
A mangosteen has a red shell, which makes it look like a pomegranate-shaped Christmas tree ornament. When we first looked at our mangosteens, we were not sure how to open them. The internet came to our rescue. Alaina found a video tutorial on opening and eating mangosteens.
Armed with that information, Robyn opened the mangosteens. I was trying to lower my expectations, but knowing that Johnny Apple preferred mangosteens to hot fudge sundaes, it was difficult.
The sections were milky white with faint markings. I popped the first one in my mouth. It tasted like nothing else I have ever had. Its creamy sweetness was cut by just enough acidity. In his story, Apple had written that a mangosteen's flavor "reminds me of litchis, peaches, and clementines, mingled in a single mouthful." I also detect more than a faint hint of mango, though Wikipedia disagrees.
Really? Better Than a Sundae?
Would I rather have a fresh mangosteen than a hot fudge sundae? If the hot fudge sundae is made with Shake Shack vanilla custard and its Valrhona-derived hot fudge, I don't think so. Were it a generic hot fudge sundae, however, then I would absolutely agree with my old friend Johnny.
Decide for yourself this weekend. Conduct your own hot fudge sundae–mangosteen taste test. Buy the best hot fudge sundae money can buy or make one at home and order a box of mangosteens from Frieda's. Mangosteens are extremely perishable, so they must be shipped overnight, which means a box of 8 to 12 mangosteens will end up costing you $39. Pricey but I believe worth it, if for no other reason than to pay tribute to the late, great, R. W. Apple Jr.
How to Eat a Mangosteen
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13 Comments:
Lots of people eat mangosteens because they've heard about the fruit's health-promoting properties. Unfortunately, the part with all of the antioxidants and xanthones (a special flavonoid that is supposed to work miracles) are contained in the fruit's pericarp, the gritty, nasty-tasting rind. So mangosteen antioxidant juice beverages often have little pieces of grit floating around in the liquid. Definitely not something I'd pass up an ice cream sundae for!
daveandcat at 8:45AM on 05/20/08
We tried our first Mangosteens last month at our favourite restaurant in Vienna- KIANG. The owner kindly presented us with a plateful of open mangosteens and litchis as a 'on-the-house' desert. They are the perfect way to finish a spicy Thai dinner- light, cool, and very refreshing! I can't wait to have them again and I'd definitely give up a hot fudge sundae for a few of these tiny gems!
miss_kim at 9:29AM on 05/20/08
I actually saw mangosteens for sale on the street in chinatown a few months ago and thought "wow! i guess the mangosteen revolution has begun", and didn't bother to buy any because they were a little far away, there were big crowds, i was in a hurry, and i figured i can just come on down to chinatown anytime and get a few. Needless to say, I HAVEN"T SEEN THEM SINCE! Talk about kicking yourself...
mh330 at 9:40AM on 05/20/08
In Asia, mangosteens are in season whenever durians are. People eat the mangosteens which are considered "cooling" in Traditional Chinese Medicine to counteract the "heatiness" or "fire" in durians. It keeps over-indulgers like me from getting a really bad sore throat from all that fiery durian!
onedaylingers at 9:40AM on 05/20/08
I've seen those mangosteens too, mh330, perched out front of the fruit stand outside Tu Qunyh Pharmacy, on the Bowery, but that was months ago. As onedaylingers writes, they're sitting on that white cooler almost like after-dinner mints, or in this case, after-durian mangosteens. "Fiery" durian I wouldn't say, though; they're heaty but creamy, too.
EatingInTranslation at 10:50AM on 05/20/08
That's a difficult comparison. What about, mangosteen or apple? Well, I'd have the mangosteen every time. M or orange? M. M or strawberry? M. Etc, etc, etc.
sulin at 11:57AM on 05/20/08
Ahhhh I crave these things...
I found a couple of tiny, rock hard samples in Chinatown a while ago...they didn't taste like they do in Asia, but they didn't taste too shabby either.
They were just...different.
fuuchan at 12:26PM on 05/20/08
How does one select them? How can I tell if they are ripe? My local chinese supermarket has them for $7.99/lb.
gnomatic at 12:48PM on 05/20/08
probably the best fruit i have ever had - you don't have to cut them open, just kinda work thru them with your thumbs and eat the goodness inside. They are kinda like a lychee without the cloying sweetness and are the perfect "cool" to the "heat" of the durian - it is all about balance.
only had them in KL, but they are well worth a try..
finnadat at 12:49PM on 05/20/08
Mangosteens are an integral part of my memory of the month I spent in Cambodia four years ago-- I must have eaten dozens of them.
I don't know if I could recreate that experience with irradiated, imported mangosteens, and a part of me doesn't want to try.
Still, hooray for more recognition for these little treasures!
Narinda at 2:40PM on 05/20/08
Oooh they are good, just picked them up at my local chinatown mart, $6.99/lb, about $15 for a bag of 12.
Just squeeze them, and the outer shell will pop open, then eat the little white sections. They are like delicious candy...or something...I don't even like candy. They're just amazing.
dagoose at 4:28PM on 05/20/08
Here is my blog post on eating fresh unirradiated mangosteen in Singapore. http://livetonibble.blogspot.com/2007/07/best-jet-lag-cure-mangosteen.html
live to nibble at 6:02PM on 05/20/08
trader joe's was selling freeze dried mangosteens for a while. that's the closest i've ever gotten, but they were delicious.
cybercita at 11:07AM on 05/21/08