Odd Foods: Monstera Deliciosa
The Delicious Monster!
The Monstera Deliciosa or Delicious Monster would seem well described as a cross between an ear of corn and a plated dinosaur, while its taste lies squarely between that of a banana and a pineapple.
I’ve had the pleasure of ingesting this fruit on more than one occasion. Only recently, however, had I taken the time to photograph it. There is a multi-day delay between when you get the fruit home and when it’s then ready to eat. For easy ripening it’s suggested that you stand the fruit up in a large glass, tip down (see photo below). When the scales begin to fold outward and drop off, the internal flesh is then ready to eat. It’s worth noting that if eaten while unripe the fruit can irritate the throat and the latex of the leaves and vines can create rashes on the skin.
Monstera deliciosa is a creeping vine native to the tropical rainforests of southern Mexico south to Colombia, and many of you have likely seen it before (though not fruiting) as it’s a popular choice of interior decorators. This member of the Arum family is an epiphyte with aerial roots, able to grow up to 60 ft high with large, leathery, glossy, heart-shaped leaves.
Like so many worldwide fruits, it’s common names are numerous, including Ceriman, Swiss Cheese Plant (or just Cheese Plant), Fruit Salad Plant, Monster fruit, Monsterio Delicio, Monstereo, Mexican Breadfruit, Monstera, split-leaf philodendron, Locust and Wild Honey, Windowleaf, Delicious Monster, Balazo and Penglai Banana.
In a world where foreign (and somewhat alien) fruits can be delivered to our doorsteps just shy of optimal eating one should not be surprised to read that the Delicious Monster is not cheap. Noting that a complete fruit takes nearly a year to mature it makes the close to $5 cost (from the most economical grocery store in New York City!!!) almost bearable.
Click the image below for a larger multi-photo collection of the fruit’s lifecycle (once it’s in your home.)
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