Your beloved indoor tropical plant is hiding a delightful secret – it bears a fruit that you can munch on!
That’s right, the Monstera is not only a feast for the eyes but, in the right conditions, it can produce an edible fruit that will make your taste buds dance with joy!
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The Intriguing Tale of the Monstera Fruit
In its natural habitat, the rainforests of Central and South America, Monsteras are more than just a pretty plant.
It’s a fruit bearer, producing a bizarre looking fruit that could be mistaken for an elongated pine cone or a green cob of corn.
This fruit is known as the “Monstera fruit” or “Mexican breadfruit.” And here’s where it gets really exciting: it’s not just edible, it’s absolutely delicious!
If you’re lucky enough to have a mature Monstera plant that’s flowered and fruited, you’re in for a real treat.
The fruit of the Monstera is said to taste like a blend of banana, pineapple, and mango, or to put it simply, pure tropical heaven!
Imagine tasting an exotic fruit salad in just one bite. That’s the Monstera fruit for you!
However, before you go hunting for a fruit on your houseplant, keep in mind that it takes a Monstera plant several years to mature enough to bear fruit.
Plus, it needs to be in the right conditions – bright but indirect light, high humidity, and warm temperatures.
Toxicity Warning
There’s one very important thing you need to know about the Monstera fruit: it can be toxic if consumed before it’s fully ripe.
As the fruit matures, it develops scales. When the fruit is fully ripe, these scales start to fall off, revealing the soft, edible flesh beneath.
This is the right time to enjoy your Monstera fruit. Unripe Monstera fruits contain high levels of oxalic acid, which can cause irritation and discomfort if ingested.
So, patience is key when it comes to Monstera fruits!
It is also important to note that this fruit is toxic to pets particularly cats and dogs.
The Fruit of the Monstera
The Monstera fruit can grow up to 12 inches long and resembles a green corn cob or an elongated pine cone.
Inside, it’s made up of several cohering berries covered in yellow-green hexagonal plates that have violet-spotted rinds on them.
The fruit is quite a sight, but remember, it’s what’s inside that counts!
And what’s inside is a tropical medley of flavors that’s been aptly referred to as the “tropical salad fruit”.
Imagine biting into a pineapple, mango, and banana all at once – that’s the Monstera fruit!
Watch this video of what the fruit looks like upon picking and some feedback on what it actually tastes like.
But that’s not all. Once picked, the fruit’s taste evolves over the course of several days.
On day one, it tastes like guava, by day two, it’s more like a mangosteen.
On the third day, you’ll be tasting lychees, day four brings the flavor of passion fruit, and by day five, it tastes like sweetsop fruit.
Day six introduces a hint of grapefruit, and by the ninth day, the fruit has developed a perfectly sweet taste and an appealing aroma.
It’s like a fruit tasting tour without leaving your house!
Nutritional Benefits
Now, if that’s not amazing enough, the Monstera fruit is also packed with nutritional benefits.
It contains a large amount of Vitamin C, and consuming a hundred grams of this fruit will give you more than twenty-two grams of protein, plenty of good carbs, Vitamin B, almost 0 fats, calcium, and phosphorus.
It’s the perfect snack for athletes looking for an energy and stamina boost, and even those recovering from radiotherapy can benefit from it.
The Right Time to Pick
However, remember that the Monstera fruit can be a bit of a tease.
It takes up to a year to ripen on the plant, and once the fruit’s base turns light green, it’s ready to be plucked.
But even then, you’ll need to wait a bit longer. You’ll know it’s time to tuck in when the scales on the bottom of your fruit start to peel back and expose the corn-like fruit underneath.
You can then cut the fruit from the stem and place it into a paper bag to ripen further.
Make sure to pick off any of the black dots, which also contain oxalic acid, that can irritate your throat and mouth.
The Fruit Bearing Green Beauty
Indeed, the Monstera deliciosa is a remarkable plant, offering not just visual pleasure, but an extraordinary culinary adventure.
However, always remember to only consume the fruit when it’s fully ripe.
As with many good things in life, patience is key when it comes to the Monstera fruit.
So, next time you pass by your Monstera, give it a wink and a nod of appreciation.
You’re not just looking at an interior design staple; you’re beholding a potential fruit-bearing, taste bud-pleasing, nutritional powerhouse.
Want to know more fun facts about Monsteras? Check out these other articles below:
Most Expensive Monstera: A Price Tag As Monstrous As Its Name!
