How to cook passion fruit
Information for passion fruit in our free cooking ingredients collection.
Passion fruit
Shaped like an egg, the passion fruit ranges from 2 to 8 inches long. As the fruit ripens, the inedible leathery skin, which can be purple or yellow, darkens, wrinkles, and becomes brittle. The yellow pulp has a jelly-like consistency and contains many edible grape-sized, flesh-covered, black seeds that are somewhat like those of a pomegranate. The pulp’s flavor is sweet-tart and lemony, and it is highly fragrant.
Family - Passifloraceae
Scientific name - Passiflora edulis
Common name - passion fruit, granadilla
High in vitamin C
A good source of vitamin A (beta-carotene)
High in fiber
Varieties
With more than 400 varieties, about 30 of which are edible, passion fruits are divided into three main categories: purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims), yellow passion fruit (P. edulis f. flavicarpa Deg.), and giant granadilla (P. quadrangularis L.). The purple varieties bear dark purple to black fruits that are about 2 inches long. The yellow varieties bear slightly longer (about 2 1/2 inches) deep-yellow fruits. Less commonly found are fruits of the giant granadilla varieties, which can reach 8 inches in length.
Origin and botanical facts
Passion fruit is native to the South American tropics. Spanish missionaries, upon discovering the plant in South America, are said to have given the fruit its name, because its flowers resembled instruments of the Passion and crucifixion of Christ, such as the crown of thorns, hammers, and nails. Being a tropical to subtropical fruit, the passion fruit is best grown in frost-free climates. In addition to South America, New Zealand, Africa, the West Indies, Malaysia, and the United States also grow passion fruit. California and Florida account for the majority of domestic production of the purple varieties, whereas Hawaii produces mainly the yellow varieties. As a commercial item, fresh passion fruit is currently considered a specialty, low-volume item in the United States. The fruit is more commonly used as an ingredient in commercial food and drink products.
The plant is a vigorous, climbing vine that can grow 15 to 20 feet a year once established. Each fruit develops from a single fragrant flower that is 2 to 3 inches wide with green and white petals. The fruits quickly turn from green to purple (or yellow) when ripe and fall to the ground within a few days. They can be picked from the vine when ripe or harvested off the ground.
How to cook passion fruit
When ripe, passion fruits are heavy with wrinkled skin. Fruits that are heavy and firm should be chosen. Unripe fruits can be left at room temperature to ripen. Ripe fruits can be refrigerated up to 1 week.
The fruit’s pulp can be eaten plain or spooned over ice cream, cakes, and other desserts. Passion fruit also makes delicious jams and jellies, to which the seeds add a crunchy texture. The fruit also can be pressed to extract a highly fragrant juice that adds a pleasant flavor to beverages such as iced tea, punch, and cocktails.
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