If you’re travelling to Malaysia or Thailand this summer and come across mangosteens, here are some tips to help you pick the best ones for a delicious experience:
- Avoid fruits with black, dry calyxes – The calyx is the green leafy part on top of the fruit. If it looks black or dried out, the fruit is likely overripe, and half of it may already be spoiled.
- Avoid fruits with a hard shell – If the shell feels hard when pressed, there’s a good chance only about 20% of the flesh will be edible.
- Avoid fruits with visible yellow wax on the skin – This usually means the wax has seeped into the flesh, affecting its taste.
- Avoid fruits with patchy, purplish skin – These are typically harvested too early. The flesh tends to stick to the inner shell and may have a transparent, unripe texture with a less pleasant flavour.
- Look for fruits with brownish, dirty-looking skin – These often feel slightly sandy on the outside, a sign of superior quality. Such mangosteens are usually very sweet and almost entirely free of the pericarp (the inner part of the shell), which doesn’t taste good if it sticks to the flesh.
- Mangosteens are quite expensive, even in Asia, so make sure to choose wisely for the best value and taste.
- Good luck and enjoy your mangosteens!
