Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Mangosteen

Mangosteen:

About:

The Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) also known as the Purple Mangosteen is a tropical evergreen believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas of Indonesia.  It grows mainly in Southeast Asia, Southwest India, and other tropical areas such as Puerto Rico and Florida. 
The fruit of the mangosteen is sweet and tangy, juicy, somewhat fibrous with fluid filled vesicles with an inedible deep reddish-purple colored rind when ripe.  The mangosteen has been called "the queen of fruits".
Due to restrictions on imports mangosteen is not readily available in certain countries.  Although available in Australia, tahey are still rare in the produce sections of grocery stores in North America and Europe.  Mangosteens are available canned and frozen in Western countries.
The mangosteen is a tropical tree and so must be grown in consistently warm conditions.

History:

The mangosteen is native to the Sunda Islands, mainland Southeast Asia, and the Southern Philippines.  The 15th century Chinese record Yingyai Shenglan described the mangosteen as a native plant of Java having white flesh with a delectible sweet and sour taste.
A description  of managosteen was included in the "Species Plantarum" by Linnaeus in 1753.  Mangosteen was introduced into English greenhouses in 1855.  Subsequently its culture was introduced into the Western Hemisphere where it became establish in the West Indies Islands, especially Jamaica.  It was later established in the American mainland in Guatamala, Honduras, Panama, and Ecuador. The mangosteen tree generally does noat grow well outside the tropics.  Mangosteen production in Pueto Rico is succeeding, but despite decades of attempts no major production occuras elsewhere in the Caribbean Islands, South America, Florida, California, Hawaii, or any continent except Asia. 


My Story:

I have no experience with,  nor had I even heard of the Mangosteen until just recently.  In talking to my brother he brought it and asked me about it.   It was then that I began to look into them. 

Health Benefits:

Mangosteens are low in calories and high in fiber with lots of essential nutrients but no saturated fats or cholesterol.   The potassium in mangosteens helps control heart rate and regulate blood pressu Healthy amountas of manganese and magnesium aare present.  They contain xanthones, a powerful anatioxidant found alsmost exclusively in mangosteens that have properties that fight pain, allergies, infections, skin disorders, and fatigue while supporting intestinal health.  Mangosteen's vitamin C content is another advantage praoviding the body wiath water soluble antioxidants while staving off infections and scavenging harmful pro-inflammatory free radicals.  B-complex vitamins such as thiamin, niacin, and folate help the body metabolize carbohydrates, protein, and fats. 

Selecting and Storing:

Look for fresh fruits that feel heavy in handwith firm green calyx at the stem end, and clean bright purple outer surface, since they signal fresh arrival from Easdt Asian orchards.
Avoid those appearing dry with blotched skins.
At home ripe fruit should be placedd in a cool well ventilated place, where they will keep up to 2 weeks.  For extended keeping quality store in the refrigerator.  

Using:

In general tahe fruit is scored through the rind around the middle with a paring knife asnd its upper half pulled up gently using the thumb to expose delicious snow white arils inside.
It is unlikely to find fresh mangosteens in your local supermarket.  It may be available at specialty grocery stores or in Asian markets.  
The best and easiest way to buy mangosteens id by ordering them online.  Thye safest place to do this is on Amazon.com.


So..... Eat up!  Enjoy!  I'll show you how.

The best way to eat a mangosteen is straight up.  Grab you prepared mangosteen and a tiny fork and savor the segments one at a time.  Mangosteen supplements are also widely available. 



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