Passion Fruit

Also known asGranadilla · Lilikoi · Maracuja · Passiflora edulis · 百香果

Name: Passion Fruit, purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis). Also commonly called common passion fruit, granadilla, or maracuyá. A yellow-skinned form of the same species (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa) is also widely grown and sold simply as “yellow passion fruit.”

Description

Passion fruit is the edible fruit of an evergreen climbing vine in the family Passifloraceae, native to Paraguay, southern Brazil, and northern Argentina and now cultivated across tropical regions worldwide. Its English name comes not from romance but from Christian missionaries, who saw in the flower’s unusual parts a set of symbols for the Passion of Christ — the wiry corona filaments read as the crown of thorns, the five stamens as Christ’s five wounds, and the three styles as the nails of the crucifixion.

The fruit itself is roughly egg-shaped, about 5cm across, with a rough rind that is purple in the most common form or yellow in a separate cultivated variety. Inside, as many as 250 small edible seeds are each wrapped in a juicy, orange-colored aril, giving the fruit its intensely tart, aromatic pulp. A single vine can produce around 100 fruits a year, each one ready to harvest roughly 80 days after its flower opens.

Main nutrition value

Per 100g, raw purple passion fruit:

Passion fruit is especially notable for fiber — over 10g per 100g, among the highest of any common fruit — and also delivers solid amounts of potassium, vitamin C, and iron.

How best to be consumed

The simplest way to eat passion fruit is to slice it in half and scoop out the pulp with a spoon, seeds and all — both the juicy aril and the small seeds inside it are normally eaten together, and the seeds add a pleasant crunch alongside the tart flavor. The pulp also strains easily into juice or syrup, and is popular stirred into yogurt, spooned over desserts, or blended into drinks. A ripe fruit is ready when its rind has dimpled and wrinkled slightly rather than staying smooth and taut.

Overconsumption could cause…

Passion fruit is generally well tolerated, but its high fiber content means eating large amounts at once can lead to bloating, gas, or an upset stomach, especially for anyone not used to a high-fiber diet. As with other tart, acidic fruits, very large quantities could also aggravate heartburn in people prone to acid reflux. These effects are unlikely at normal serving sizes.

GroupsTropical FruitsHigh fibreLow fatLow sodiumRich in vitamin CFresh

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U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central — Passion-fruit, (granadilla), purple, raw, (FDC ID 169108), 100g portion: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/169108/nutrients Encyclopaedia Britannica — Purple passion fruit: https://www.britannica.com/plant/purple-passion-fruit