What is Mangosteen
The jungles of Southeast Asia are home to the fruit Mangosteen which for endless generations the people of Southeast Asia have valued above all others. These people are intimately acquainted with the nutritional and medicinal qualities of the plants of the rain forest and there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of edible fruits, nuts, vegetables, berries and roots and yet only the Mangosteen fruit is commonly referred to as "The Queen of Fruit".
Is the Mangosteen fruit deserving of this title? Absolutely! A major reason is the role the Mangosteen played in ancient and even in modern Southeast Asian medicine. Countless generations utilized the Mangosteen fruit to control fever and ward off infections and diseases of imaginable kind.
In addition to the recognized value of the Mangosteen for medicinal purposes its taste is exceptional. Difficult to describe, yet impossible to forget. When Queen Victoria first tasted the Mangosteen fruit, imported to Europe in the mid-1800s, she immediately declared it her favorite fruit.
The ripe Mangosteen is approximately the size of a tangerine, with a smooth, dark purple rind covering snow-white fruit. Some tropical fruits need an "acquired taste" to enjoy them, however Mangosteen has a sweet, mild flavor that seems to be appealing to everyone, beginning with the first bite.
The Mangosteen tree grows only in tropical zones that have abundant rainfall. they take 10 years to mature before they begin to bear fruit. Mature trees grow up to 80 feet in height and may produce thousands of fruits every year.
Although readily available in season throughout Southeast Asia the Mangosteen fruit is almost unheard of, by the common person, in North America and Europe.