An egg-shaped tropical fruit that is also called a purple granadilla, the passion fruit has a brittle, wrinkled purple-brown rind enclosing flesh-covered seeds, something like a pomegranate (granadilla means "little pomegranate" in Spanish). The seeds are edible so you can eat the orange pulp straight from the shell. Passion fruit is more commonly sieved and its highly aromatic pulp and juice are used as a flavoring for beverages and sauces. The pulp has an intense aromatic flavor, while the texture is jelly-like and watery. The flavor is likened to guava.  Native to Brazil, passion fruits are grown in Hawaii, Florida, and California. These crops, along with imports from New Zealand, keep passion fruit on the market all year.

Nutritional Information

Passion fruit is a good source of vitamins A and C, as well as potassium and iron. One passion fruit has only 16 calories. When eaten with the seeds, a serving is an excellent source of fiber.

Selection

Choose large, heavy, firm fruit. When ripe, it has wrinkled, dimpled, deep purple skin. Skin is old-looking, but does not mean the fruit is rotten. Mold does not affect quality and can be wiped off. Fruit color is green when they are immature, changing to shades of purple, red or yellow as they ripen. Leave at room temperature to ripen. The skin will wrinkle, but the fruit will not soften much. Once ripe, store in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Preparation

Passion Fruit is generally eaten fresh but may be cooked for use in sauces and fillings. Begin by cutting the fruit in half and scooping out the fleshy pulp with a spoon. Spoon the pulp over ice cream or other soft fruits. The pulp makes a delicious jam or jelly and the seeds add a unique crunchy texture. To remove seeds: Strain in a non-aluminum sieve, or use cheesecloth, squeezing to extract the juice.

Varieties

New Zealand Passion Fruit is purple while the Hawaiian variety is yellow.

Purple Form

Black Knight
Developed in Massacusetts. This variety is fragrant with a dark purple-black fruit, the size and shape of large egg and excellent flavor.

Edgehill
Originated in Vista, Calif. Similar to Black Knight, but more vigorous. It has a longer growing period and produces a larger purple fruit. One of the best outdoor cultivars for Southern California.

Frederick
Originated in Lincoln Acres, Calif. This variety is a large, nearly oval fruit, greenish-purple with reddish cast, slightly tart flavor, good for eating out of hand, and excellent for juicing.

Kahuna
This variety is very large with a medium purple color in the fruit. It has a sweet, tart flavor that is good for juicing.

Paul Ecke
Originated in Encinitas, Calif., It is a medium-sized purple fruit of very good quality that is suitable for juicing and eating out of hand.

Purple Giant
This is a very large variety of fruit and is dark purple when mature.

Red Rover
Originated in Lincoln Acres, Calif. This variety is medium to large, roundish, with a rind in an attractive clear red color. This variety has a sweet, notably rich flavor with tart overtones. It is good for eating out of hand or juicing.

 

Yellow Form

Brazilian Golden
Large, golden-yellow fruits, larger than standard forms, the flavor is somewhat tart. It has an extremely vigorous vine, requiring cross-pollination. This variety has extra large, fragrant flowers, white with a dark center that blooms during mid-summer. Produces one large crop beginning in late August or early September

Golden Giant
A large yellow-fruited cultivar that originated in Australia.

Recipes

Baked Plantains With Passion Fruit
5 Servings, equals one 5 A Day serving per person

Ingredients

5 small ripe plantains (or bananas), peeled and sliced
1 Tbsp. Unsalted butter, melted
juice of 3 passion fruits
¼ cup honey
Juice and zest of one Florida lime
½ tsp nutmeg

Peel, slice and arrange ripe plantains (bananas) in a glass pie pan or baking dish. Sprinkle top with the remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 166, Fat 2g, Calories from Fat 10%, Cholesterol 3mg, Fiber 3g, Sodium 4mg.

Passion Fruit Smoothie
4 servings, equals three 5 A Day servings per person

Ingredients

8 small scoops of low-fat frozen yogurt
4 passion fruits
4 peaches, sliced
16 oz. Strawberries

Puree half of the strawberries. Scoop out the passion fruit pulp and add to the strawberry sauce. Place the other half of strawberries and sliced peaches into 4 serving cups (leave a few for decoration). Add two scoops of yogurt to each cup, and top off with the remaining fruits. Pour the strawberry puree over the sundae and serve.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 229, Fat 3g, Calories from Fat 9%, Cholesterol 7mg, Fiber 7g, Sodium 88mg.

Orange Passion Fruit Freeze
Makes 2 servings, equal to two 5 A Day servings

Ingredients

2 cups sorbet, citrus flavor
juice of 4 passion fruits
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup low-fat milk (1%)

Place the sorbet, juices and milk in the blender and blend for 15 seconds or until all of the sorbet is smooth. Pour into a glass and serve immediately.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 130, Fat 0.3g, Calories from Fat 2%, Cholesterol 1mg, Fiber 2g, Sodium 21mg.

Passion Fruit Cup
Makes 2 servings, equals to three 5 A day servings per person
Source: Produce for Better Health

Ingredients

2 passion fruits
1 Tbsp honey
lime juice
1 large kiwi, peeled and sliced
1 banana, sliced
1 cup red grapes seedless, cut in half

Cut the top from eat passion fruit and scoop out the pulp. Combine with honey and lime juice to taste. Combine with the fruits, toss gently and serve.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 170, Fat 1g, Calories from Fat 5%, Cholesterol 0mg, Fiber 3g, Sodium 6mg.

Content source: Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

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