Mangosteens in NY

[Kim D]

Last week, mangosteens were $9/pound and this week $7/pound in Chinatown. Hope the downward trend in price continues. I've been spending more money on mangosteens, lychees and langons than on meat.

[Kim D]

Two pound bags of mangosteens were going for $8. So I bought one. And was disappointed. The fruit tasted bitter and was a bit pink. Read the tag. Said to keep frozen. Ah well.

On the bright side, I used the trick of pushing the flower end against the countertop and it cracked right open.

I also picked up sugar apples. Never had them before. $5/pound got me two. The first one was rock hard inside. The second one was custardy. I liked it.

Now I need to get good at picking them out.

- Kim

[SeanDirty]

Ok, the mangosteens you buy in Chinatown NYC are FROZEN refreshed. Meaning they buy a ton of frozen ones, and let it sit out all day till they thaw and you buy them. These people are buying them in bulk and letting them sit... So by this time, they have been sitting a while, so often when you buy them now they will be browned on the inside. BUYER BEWARE!!

Also they have lifted the importation ban on Fresh Mangosteens in the United States... However with that lift, certain countries are still unable to bring it into the US. only the new producers, i think its south America or purto rico or something...

The fresh Mangosteens are VERY VERY expensive, and they are sold in i think 4 locations in NYC. (when in season)

As for TB86, i'd like to know how you can ship "fresh" mangosteens from Thailand w/o customs kicking them out....

[sickchangeup]

Ok, the mangosteens you buy in Chinatown NYC are FROZEN refreshed.  Meaning they buy a ton of frozen ones, and let it sit out all day till they thaw and you buy them.  These people are buying them in bulk and letting them sit... So by this time, they have been sitting a while, so often when you buy them now they will be browned on the inside.  BUYER BEWARE!!

Also they have lifted the importation ban on Fresh Mangosteens in the United States... However with that lift, certain countries are still unable to bring it into the US.  only the new producers, i think its south America or purto rico  or something...

The fresh Mangosteens are VERY VERY expensive, and they are sold in i think 4 locations in NYC. (when in season)

As for TB86, i'd like to know how you can ship "fresh" mangosteens from Thailand w/o customs kicking them out....

←

Any chance you could take a stab at which four places? That would be great to find them, at whatever price.

[Ciao Ling]

I have always been waiting for the time fresh mangosteens would get into the continental US as I have read so much about the taste of this fruit so prized when fresh. I am not near enough to a Chinatown to get the smuggled in ones. To my amazement, there it was at my local grocery store (I am blessed with Wegmans). It is an irradiated fruit from Thailand. I googled and found out that the US allowed this in 2008. It was expensive, $2.99 each, but after years of waiting, I wanted to sample one. Delicious but... not enough! Hopefully more mangosteen demand will mean more channels into the US and lower prices.

[Emily_R]

Holy crap! Mangosteens at Wegmans? How was the flavor? Have you had them in Asia? If so, how did they compare?

I haven't had one since I was 9 years old, traveling in Indonesia with my parents... In my memory, they were the best fruit on earth, and I ate them until I got a stomach ache... And then still ate them some more.

[Jaymes]

I should make an effort to find some in Houston. Houston has an enormous Asian population and if there are fresh mangosteens available in the US, I'd sure think some might have found their way here. When I lived in Asia (Hong Kong and the Philippines), I became so accustomed to having them easily at hand that I just took it for granted. It's been difficult to come to terms with the thought that I might never have one again.

[Ciao Ling]

Holy crap! Mangosteens at Wegmans? How was the flavor? Have you had them in Asia? If so, how did they compare?

I haven't had one since I was 9 years old, traveling in Indonesia with my parents... In my memory, they were the best fruit on earth, and I ate them until I got a stomach ache... And then still ate them some more.

Never had one before so could not compare. I don't even know what a ripe or good one is. The one I bought had a outer skin that was rock hard. I had to use a hammer to crack it open after I scored it. The flesh was incredibly juicy. The closest taste that I can think of was a lichee but not really. My wife looked at the white flesh and was turned off by the appearance, but after a taste, she smiled. I am certain the one I ate was not representative of the best that a locally grown mangosteen can be, but again having never had any, me like.

[Jaymes]

Well, thanks to this thread, I did decide to try to search for fresh mangosteens in Houston. I telephoned 99 Ranch Market, a Chinese superstore, and the manager of the produce department told me that indeed, they did have some fresh mangosteens imported from Thailand. Could hardly wait to get myself there.

They were incredibly expensive but since I've been craving some since leaving SE Asia a couple of decades back, spent the money.

First - these are smaller than the ones we routinely got in Asia. I cut into them, and the outer shell had clearly deteriorated. They were not that breathtakingly gorgeous purple. Several areas were brown and soft. Ditto the fruit. There were enough white cloves that I did get a few bites out of each one, but much of the interior fruit was also soft and brown.

Although even the best white bits were not the succulent sweet tangy mangosteens of my fondest memories, they were still very good. It's kind of like when you eat a peach that is not the best peach you ever had, but it's good enough to evoke the taste of the best ones, and to remind you why you love them.

So these were nowhere nearly so delicious as the best ones I've ever had, but good enough to remind me why mangosteens remain my favorite fruit of all.

I paid a fortune for this sublime glimpse into my past. I probably won't do it again. But was it worth it?

Yes.