Mangosteen has Secrets

This is delicious mangusteen season here in Sri Lanka. Kaluthara area in Western province of Sri Lanka is very popular for this fruit. I do not have this tree in our garden. Here we have many fruit trees but no Mangusteen. I really like them. I used to annoy a friend to buy mangusteen whenever we walked near weekly fair at kaluthara in our Advanced Level days.

It has very sweet flavored, white colored, fleshy parts inside. Its exocarp is hard but can be opened when we add pressure with our palms on it. This exocarp is purple in color when it has ripen. In side layer of exocarp is reddish in color. Some mangusteen get damaged when it hit the floor or when force applied on it and left without open for long time. With that, inside fruits become brownish. You must have a luck to have white color fruits inside the exocarp.

Here some of fruits have a seed inside it and others not. Normally one or two parts have seeds while there are 5, 6,7 or 8 parts in total. Parts with seeds are bigger in size and often locate as neighbors. You will feel luck when you found a fruit with lot of parts inside it. Does that really need to open it to find whether you are lucky or not?

Not really not! You can find what's inside without open it. I am going to tell you a secret. You may have already noticed it. Have you ever see the flower shaped part on the bottom of the fruit? Yes you are, unless you were in a big hurry to open it. 😋 This part is equivalent to the shape of the fruits inside the exocarp.

Just make sure when you eat a mangosteen very next time. If it have two big petals, then the fruit has two big parts inside. And if it has 5 petals in total, you will see five parts when you open it. If you see 6 then the same happen. So on. Funny thing is it exactly same with what is inside. In size ratio and shape. Hope you see it next time! 😊

Happy mangusteen season all!