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There are basically two ways to open a mangosteen, either with your hands or with a knife. Most of the time I open mangosteens with my hands, except when I serve them on a plate, then I use a knife.

With Your Hands

There are two common techniques to open mangosteens with your hands. Both are practical since they don't require a knife.

Yet, it can be quite messy to crack the rind open, which may leave purple stains on your fingers.

Here is the first technique: Hold the mangosteen loosely with all your finger tips, around the middle of the fruit. The crown of the mangosteen should point to the left and the bottom to the right. Then, gently press the skin with your finger tips, while rolling the fruit.

This is a simple way to open a mangosteen with your hands.

This creates a crack in the middle of the fruit. Now you can break open the rind. Most Thais hold the rind and casually bite the meat out. If you are not comfortable to eat this way, use a fork.

Here is the second technique:

Photos 1 and 2. Hold the mangosteen in your hand with the crown facing downward. Then, press the bottom of the fruit with your thumb, until a circular crack forms.

Photo 3. Press the sides of the fruit with your thumb and index finger. The pressure will break the rind open.

Photos 4 and 5. Gently break off the rind until all that is left is the pulp and the crown. Now you can hold the mangosteen by the stem and eat it like a popsicle.

Learn how to open a mangosteen with your hands.
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In my experience, this technique works well as long as the fruit is not too ripe. When the rind is soft, it's difficult to crack it open. Instead, it gets squashed.

With A Knife

It's less messy to open mangosteens with a knife than to use your hands. At the same time, you may accidentally cut into the meat, which creates a brownish line in the white pulp. There is no problem with that when you are the one to eat it. However, if you want to display the fruits on a plate, you need to be gentle when cutting the rind. That way, the knife won't touch the flesh.

How to open a mangosteen with a knife.

To open a mangosteen with a knife, cut the rind all the way around the fruit. Make sure that the blade of the knife doesn't come into contact with the pulp. Break the fruits open and place them on a plate. Thais serve the pulp in the bottom part of the rind.

You can make it more exotic by not removing the top part of the rind, after cutting. In addition, this keeps the pulp fresh and prevents oxidation.

Enjoy the savory "queen of fruits!"

Suggested Reading:   Selecting Mangosteens   Pineapple Tips

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