Monstera Deliciosa, unlike its name, is not a monster. It almost looks like an ear of corn than a fruit. It has a scaly exterior and a pineapple like flesh. The skin of the fruit must be flaked off gently. Monstera deliciosa takes almost a year to ripen and be safe for consumption. Unripe fruits are toxic and should not be eaten. The ripe fruit is the only safe part, the other parts of Monstera deliciosa are poisonous.
The fruit is native to the rain forests of Central America and is said to taste like a cross between banana, pineapple, and mango.(source)
Related to Cacao, the tree is found throughout the Amazon basin. The fruit has been heralded as the next”super fruit” because it is chock full of nutrients. The fruit has a chocolate-pineapple flavor. It is used in desserts and sweets. The juice from the fruit tastes like a pear with a dash of banana thrown in. The thick buttery flesh is used to hydrate the skin as well.(source)
Pepino known as Pepino Dulce “Sweet Cucumber” is native to South America. Its flavor is a combination of honeydew melon and cucumber. The Pepino resembles a cross between a melon and a pear belonging to the nightshades family of tomatoes and eggplant. Delicate and mildly flavored Pepino are eaten as a fresh fruit snack or can be consumed as part a of fruit salad. The fruit is exported to New Zealand and Turkey. It can bear fruits within four to six months of being planted. The hardy plant is resilient and it’s a favorable option for farmers.(source 1,2)
Common names of Hala fruit include Thaazhai (Tamil), Tahitian screwpine, thatch screwpine, hala (Hawaiian), fala (Samoan), bacua (Spanish), vacquois (French). The fruit is unusual looking. The fruit has a fibrous outer husk and within it, it has 38-200 wedge-like phalange. Each phalange contains two seeds on an average within it. The fiber in the fruit acts as a natural dental floss. The Hala fruit is eaten raw or cooked. Necklaces are made out of individual wedges. The leaves of the plant are used for grass skirts, thatch roofs, mats,and baskets. The plant is said to possess medicinal properties.(source 1,2)
