Peak season: May to August or September

 Southern Thailand is the home of the Mangosteen, which appears on markets in May and continues through most of the rainy season. This delicious fruit has a thick, dark-red skin, inside which are creamy white segments with a sweet, slightly tart flavour; as a general rule, the more segments a Mangosteen has, the fewer seeds one will find. A knife is used to slit the skin around the middle, after which it opens easily and the flesh can be eaten with a fork as a memorable after-meal treat. Nutritional value: High calcium, phosphorus, vitamin B and C. Considered to be the "Queen of Tropical Fruits", there are five or six small segments of white flesh contained within the hard, dark reddish purple outer shell. When ripe, the outer shell yields to slight pressure and cracks easily to reveal the soft, white flesh with a refreshing sweet and tangy taste. To avoid crushing the delicate flesh within, it is best to make a continuous clean cut around the circumference by turning the Mangosteen clockwise or counter-clockwise through the dark beetroot-coloured pith but without cutting through the flesh.

See Large Image HERE

Native variety
The Skin is thick and soft but firm, when ripe the Colour is dark purple with flesh-white and a sweet and scented flavour

Preparation and eating

1. Use a knife to slit the skin around the middle.

2. Open the fruit, the segments inside will stick to the basal part.

3. Use a fork to eat.

Nutritional value
High calcium, phosphorus, vitamin B and C

Fruiting season
May - September

Uses
Eating fresh,  juice is made from the Mangosteen fruit. The juice
contains potent antioxidants due to Xanthones found in the Mangosteen fruit and outer rind.

Storage
<>Keep the fresh fruit at room temperature (25-30 Celsius),
they can be kept for 5-7 days.