Mangosteen: Glossy, Delicious And Healthy

Mangosteen: Glossy, Delicious And Healthy

- Sagrika Sanjay

In recent years, people’s food habits have undergone tremendous change as more and more options have emerged on to the market. The world over, people are willing to explore different cultures and traditions through the food they eat. Food offers a great way to build connections in the world; elements from the world over can be brought to the same place in the form of dishes and meals. In the last few years, fruits and vegetables have increasingly been incorporated into diets, primarily for health reasons. Fruits like kiwis and avocadoes have become popular in India and elsewhere. Mangosteen, known as Kokam in India, is another such fruit which is quickly gaining popularity across India. Mangosteen provides a rich colour and tangy flavour to dishes, and is regularly used in the south-west parts of the country.

India mostly experiences tropical weather conditions, but the climate varies across different parts of the Indian peninsula. The warm and tropical conditions found in southern India favour the growth of the mangosteen fruit. Thirty-five species of Mangosteen, or Garcinia, are found in India, used in a variety of ways spice, fruit, medicine, cooling syrup, cooking butter, colouring agent, and as ingredients in polishing agents applied on metallic surfaces such as gold and silver.

The outer, purple-coloured pericarp found on the Mangosteen fruit, though inedible, is considered a rich source of antioxidants and phytochemicals. The latter are a natural source of colour. The fleshy segments of the fruit are sometimes canned but this may cause the segments to lose their delicate flavour, especially if pasteurized for as much as 10 minutes. Tests have shown that, in the process of canning the fruit, it is best to use 40 percent syrup and sterilize the segments for only 5 minutes. The more acidic a fruit, the better suited it is for being preserved.