This little white fruit in the brown shell is called a "Mangosteen, The Queen of Fruit." I am not sure why it is called "The Queen of Fruit." It was Queen Victoria'a favorite fruit. I'm sorry Victoria, I think it is really scary looking and I had a very hard time putting it in my mouth. It is pale and white and fleshy feeling. In fact, it felt like eating an alien life form. It has a rather tart but sweet taste, a bit like an orange combined with a peach but maybe an orange and peach from Mars.....It comes inside a very hard, brown shell. It grows on a tropical evergreen tree, believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas. The Moluccas are where all the pirates are these days. Maybe they became pirates because they were forced to eat Mangosteens.
Apparently it is an abundant source of xanthones. For those of you who don't know what xanthones are: "Xanthones are some of the most potent antioxidants known. They are thought to be more potent than both Vitamin C and Vitamin E." I'm sure you can buy it on the internet....and if it is in pill form, it's got to be a lot easier to swallow.
IDENTIFICATION OF OUR LAST WEIRD FOOD:
One of our "Anonymous" readers correctly guessed that our bean was a Fava Bean. Yes, our giant bean is in the fava bean family. It is called the Nintoku Giant Bean. This Big Bean is extremely high in nutrients, including protein, iron and potassium and the best part is, you only have to eat one bean...parents, this would be an easier sell to your kids...5 peas rolling around on their plates or one bean .....
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