Mangosteen

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Mangosteen / Garcinia mangostana / is the fruit of the eponymous pyramidal tree, which reaches a height of 6 to 25 meters. Mangosteen is called the "Queen of Fruits". The homeland of the mangosteen tree is South Asia, and nowadays it is found mainly in Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, China, Indonesia. The mangosteen, also called mangosteen, has nothing to do with mango, despite the similarity in names.

To bear fruit, the tree must be at least 10 years old. It needs a humid climate in the tropical lowlands, as well as well-drained soil. The mangosteen most often grown in home gardens, is not suitable for large-scale production due to a number of difficulties such as slow growth for example. It is possible to grow it as a greenhouse or houseplant, but it must be provided with moisture and heat.

The mangosteen or Garcinia mangostana is named after the French researcher Jacques Garcin. Queen Victoria herself gave this superb fruit the title of "Queen of All Fruits". In Asia, mangosteen has been consumed for centuries, not only because of its excellent taste, but also because of a number of health benefits.

The shape of the fruit is round, covered with a purple peel, which is relatively hard. The fruit weighs between 80 and 200 g - depending on the soil on which it is grown. Under the bark is a divided into several parts core, which is soft, creamy and transparent. The fruit has a sweet, buttery taste of almonds.

Inside it are tightly packed seeds. They are usually from one to five, but there are also seedless specimens. The full ripening of the fruit takes about 100 days.

Composition of mangosteen

Today, scientists praise mangosteen due to the huge amount of phytonutrients it contains, called xanthones. They are known as super antioxidants because of their effectiveness. About 40 different xanthones have been found in mangosteen, making it the richest and even the only source of these incredibly beneficial phytonutrients. In addition, it has a high content of vitamin C, B vitamins, nicotinic acid, magnesium, potassium, manganese.

100 g of mangosteen contain 73 kcal, 18 g of carbohydrates, 1.8 g of fiber, 0.41 g of protein.

Selection and storage of mangosteen

The mature one mangosteen has a purple color, elastic bark. If the fruit is too hard, then it is overripe and does not taste very good. Yellowish spots on the flesh do not mean that it is spoiled, but on the contrary - give it a more delicate taste. In rare cases, mangosteen becomes dark cream, almost yellow, with an unpleasant taste and aroma. This is due to a disease whose origin is not specified. If you come across such a fruit, just do not eat it. The mangosteen Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

In the past, Queen Victoria promised a very high reward for the one who delivered fresh fruit to England. To this day, mangosteen is not widely consumed due to its high price. It is due to the cultivation of mangosteen in limited areas.

In our country there is a mangosteen juice, which is considered extremely useful. However, its price is quite high - up to BGN 50 per liter. It can also be purchased in the form of capsules.

Mangosteen in cooking

Wash the fruit and cut it in half with a sharp knife. Scrape the core with a small spoon. Consume mangosteen alone or as an addition to delicious fruit salads.

It is extremely suitable for champagne cocktails because of its wonderful and exotic aroma. It is possible to preserve. Mangosteen is used to make very tasty and vitamin juices.

Benefits of mangosteen

Most recently, mangosteen was named one of the 5 superfoods in the world. This is not a coincidence at all, given the huge amounts of phytonutrients. This noble among the fruits is a real healing miracle. Thanks to its ingredients, mangosteen protects against bone loss, reduces the risk of various types of cancer, lowers cholesterol levels, slows down the aging process, improves skin condition.

This fruit perfectly strengthens the cardiovascular and respiratory system, relieves the unpleasant symptoms of menopause, helps maintain high immunity, protects the body from the development of various infections, has a good astringent effect. The mangosteen helps prevent diabetes, cataracts, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, inflammatory bowel disease, osteoporosis and hepatitis. It maintains the acid and electrolyte balance in the body.