Monstera Deliciosa

From the split-leaf philodendron!  It grows out of the flower.  Also called Mexican Breadfruit or Swiss Cheese Plant. 

Norman Van Aken explains: "You owe it to yourself to experience Monsteras." 

Native to Central America and widely eaten in the tropics, they taste  like a tropical fruit, a mix of mango, pineapple, and banana. 

They look like a mix of a corn (in shape and in the fruit kernels) and a (bumpy) cucumber with hexagon tiles on the skin.

Ripen:  The skin and the tiles (must) fall of by themselves indicating it is ripe to eat.  This will take some time, so be patient.  Keep it out on your counter at room temperature until all the tiles come loose or put it in a brown bag for a few days and check on it.  It ripens as the skin fall off; the bottom will ripen first (it ripens unevenly) so take it off in sections and be sure to remove all the tiles from that section.  The black specs in the fruit are part of the flavor, no need to discard those.  Norman Van Aken continues, "You take a small sharp knife and cut into the fruit and scrape off the kernels into a bowl."  Unripe will cause irritation to the throat and mouth because of the oxalic acid (as, you can imagine, they don't taste good unripe either) so be patient.  Once ripe, you will be rewarded with a unique, custard texture, pale yellow color, and tropical flavor of the Monstera Deliciosa.

Use:   Used to flavor drinks and ice cream or can be eaten as a fresh fruit once ripened.   Norman Van Aken explains, "People ask me what I do with this fruit. One thing that is wonderful is enjoying it with your cereal in the morning. And the way it ripens a little bit at a time makes the morning thing work too. In my "Great Exotic Fruit Book" which features many fruits and fruit related recipes, I have a Halloween-inspired dish. It's called "West Indian Pumpkin Pound Cake with a Monstera Mash Anglaise"  Someone said it's so good it's scary"

Nutritionally: High in potassium and Vitamin C

Testimonials: 

WOW WOW WOW it is so amazingly delicious! I can't wait for more to ripen!

Ellen

Note:  you might be afraid to try new things, but our site and the information we offer can really help you have new experiences in delicious organics.  Ellen got a box from us.  We added a Monstera.  That might not have been something she would have tried normally but it was part of the box.  She was puzzled and fascinated at first, a little impatient waiting for it to ripen, and was very pleasantly surprised as it did ripen. 

Expand your horizons! 

Try something new! 

With our tips and pictures

It's easy to do!

Links:

• Star Chefs, Norman Van Aken
• If we have this in stock, you can find it here.

Exotic Fruit and Vegetables A-Z		Complete Guide to Exotic Fruit and Vegetables