Earlier this week we flew from London to Sydney, stopping in Singapore for a few hours. One of the goals during our 10 hour stopover in Singapore was to find and eat as many mangosteens as possible. If you are looking for them they are easiest to find in the busy Chinatown area and can be eaten anywhere, we took them to the lovely Botanic Gardens to enjoy.
The mangosteen is said to be the Queen of fruits and is apparently quite difficult to grow but as tropical fruits go it is pretty amazing.
If you have never seen a mangosteen before they are small, round fruit, about the size of a tennis ball or smaller. The shell is a deep plum colour with a small green calyx on the top.
Mangosteens at the market
When we first discovered mangosteens we used a knife to carefully peel away the hard shell, it was tedious and time consuming almost to the point of wondering if it was worth it. After tasting the fruit we realised it definitely WAS worth the effort. The flavour of the fruit is difficult to describe, it is very sweet and light. I think that the flavour is a bit like other small white tropical fruits like lychee and rambutan. If you don’t like either of these fruits try a mangosteen anyway as they are not exactly the same.
It was several years ago when we were young enough to stay at a backpacker’s hostel when we first discovered mangosteens and opened them with a knife until one of the staff there said ‘just do it like this’.
All you have to do to open the mangosteen is hold it in the palm of your hand with the calyx up, and squeeze gently until the skin cracks and you can peel it away. Easy!
The red skin is astringent so don’t try to eat it but you can now enjoy the tasty white segments inside, bearing in mind that some of the bigger ones may contain a seed.
Rainbow Bakery 
I’ve never even heard of them! How interesting…
I hadn’t heard of them before visiting Singapore either, they are quite delightful Suzie
I love mangosteens, they are one of my favourite fruits ever!!
I’d have to say that they are one of my favourites too.
I have tasted one of these. It’s very like a lychee, but not quite as sweet. Mine was already peeled, so thanks for the tip. 🙂
Yes the flavour is like lychee but it has a different texture really.
Wow a new one to me. Must try one!
Oh yes TBM do try it if you can. Try Borough Markets.
I love mangosteens! Beautiful fruit.
Me too!
I love mangosteen! It is known as the Queen of fruits for a good reason. (The durian is known as the King.)
That is true Opalla, I’ve never tried the durian – have you?
Yes, Georgia, and I love it. People say you either love or hate the durian. For a nice introduction, try durian ice cream first before the fresh durian. I do not like the dried fruit.
Wow. I have been to Singapore many times but have never seen, heard of, or tasted a Mangosteen. I feel I’ve missed something important that nobody has told me about before. Actually, I’ve never seen, heard of, or tasted a lychee or rambutan either. This is a sad state of affairs for a monkey.
Wow, I thought monkeys only liked bananas or are you willing to try all sorts of fruit? You should definitely try these ones if you see them Kongo
i have never tried Mangosteen, but I know tropical fruits are always good.
They certainly are Amy
I’ve had the juice but never the fruit. I think they can’t be imported to the US? Thanks for your post, now I’ll know what to do. 😉
Oh that is a shame about importing rules. I wonder if it could grow in any of your warmer states?
I’d never heard of these. Thanks for introducing them to me. If given a chance I’ll certainly try them and remember the easy way to peel them. 🙂
I sure hope you get to try them Elizabeth, they are probably my favourite fruit