Passion Fruit

Passion fruit, also known as maracuya or passiflora edulis, is a vine species of passion flower with an appealing musky and sweet-tart taste.

This tropical fruit can be eaten either with a tablespoon straight from the fruit itself or from a bowl. However, it is more commonly used as an addition to other fruit juices, enhancing their aroma.

The passion flower, named after the Passion of the Christ, bears fruit in one to three years and the fruit ripens when the skin becomes wrinkled, roughly 75 days after pollination.

Passiflora edulis are either dark purple or yellow, the former are as big as a grapefruit and the latter are egg-shaped. The purple-colored variety, the more common of the two kinds in Israel, contains a higher proportion of juice and a lower concentration of acid. Both have a tough, smooth rind and a juicy interior, divided into two cavities which contain as many as 250 small, dark, hard, pitted seeds.

Passion fruit is native to South America and is cultivated in warm frost-free climates. When grown naturally and consumed fresh, it is rich in dietary fiber, potassium and beta carotene and low on calories. The fruit's juice is a good source of vitamin C and helps to reduce high blood pressure.