¡Viva la monstera!

When I first saw the beast-like monstera fruit at my local grocery, I couldn't resist. In addition to resembling a reptilian ear of corn, the monstera was said to taste like a mix of banana and pineapple. Could something that looked so mean taste that sweet?

In a word, yes. The Central American fruit has a nice flavor, albeit one much more banana than pineapple. That's no surprise, given its genus name "monstera deliciosa." I'm not making this up.

Eating a monstera isn't all that straight-forward, though. It ripens a little bit at a time. When the...(gulp)...scales fall off, you know that part of the fruit is ready. There is one slight problem. The fruit's many wedge-shaped pieces are each coated by a black powdery substance that has an odd texture. Rinsing gets rid of most of it, fortunately.

I've been enjoying my trip into monsterdom, although I'd still consider myself an amateur. Anyway, I can vouch for eating monstera wedges plain or mixed with yogurt.

Unfortunately, this fun fruit has been going quickly. Too quickly.

¡Muera la monstera!