The mangosteen looks like a purple persimmon. But the exocarp is rock hard—more like the shell of a nut—and inedible. This protects the sweet prize inside, the soft and fragrant juicy endocarp, which is segmented like a tiny white tangerine. But don’t rush as you nibble on this ambrosial fruit: inside some of the pale syrupy segments is a dark pip about the size of a pumpkin seed.
