Mangosteen (Manggis) | Tropical Fruits

Malaysia Mangosteen

Regarded as the queen of fruits in Malaysia, the mangosteen is considered as a perfect balance to the rich “heatiness” of the durian due to the mangosteen “cooling” effect. In fact, the mangosteen has its uses in folk medicine. The bark and skin are used to treat diarrhea, and in Indonesia it is used to control high fever. In Malay term, the mangosteen is called “Manggis“.

The mangosteen is one of Malaysian most beloved fruits. Like the famous durian, the mangosteen is a Southeast Asian native and bears fruit at the same time. Therefore, if you are visiting Malaysia during the durian season which falls between June and August, you can try the mangosteen at the same time.

The outlook of the mangosteen is somewhat peculiar if you saw it the first time. It has a thick woody shell of purplish-black color. The skin of mangosteen is often accompanied by some sticky liquid that you might think it’s poisonous. Because of this, a lot of people may not like its outlook when they see it the first time. A lot of them wonder how the Malaysian could eat such thing. But the mangosteen is a wonderful delicious fruit in Malaysia. Once you have ripped the skin opened, you can see several segments of the most exquisite juicy white flesh, absolutely sweet and slightly acid and the flesh is the total opposite to its ugly outlook.

Delicious Mangosteen Snowy White Flesh!

The mangosteen in Malaysia is cheap and there are plenty of them during the season. Usually you can find it along with the durian at stalls by the streets or in the villages. Even though the mangosteen may seem abundance, it’s one of the most precious fruits in Malaysia due to the fact that it’s difficult to grow. And when the mangosteen does eventually bear fruit, the difficulty is not over as it bruises easily when transported. Therefore, do appreciate the mangosteen and if you have the chance, do try it.

The mangosteen can be opened by squeezing gently on either side; if the skin doesn’t pull apart easily, the fruit may not be ripe so wait another day or so. Alternatively, the top third of the fruit can be sliced off, revealing six or seven snowy white segments nestling in the thick pinkish-brown interior.

In short, the mangosteen is one of Malaysia most loved fruits due to its counter balance effect to the durian heatiness. It’s one of the must try fruits when you are holidaying in Malaysia!