Welcome to the Tropics
Passiflora edulis·Brazil / Paraguay
Also known as: purple passion fruit
Wrinkled purple skin gives away nothing. Crack one open and you get the most aromatic juice in the tropics — bright, tart, perfumed, with crunchy black seeds suspended in golden jelly. One spoon eaten straight, or drizzle the pulp over yogurt, ice cream, or a pavlova that needs the lift.
Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) is the climbing-vine fruit native to southern Brazil and Paraguay, named for the elaborate flower early missionaries linked to the Passion of Christ. Once you cut one, the skin is irrelevant — the entire purpose is the orange-gold pulp inside.
The flavour is the sharpest in the Passifloraceae family: heady floral notes, citrus bite, a long perfumed finish. The seeds are crunchy and entirely edible. Compared to its yellow cousin maracuya, purple passion fruit is smaller, more concentrated and more aromatic.
Look for a wrinkled, slightly heavy fruit — smooth skin means it isn't ripe yet. Halve crosswise, scoop with a teaspoon. Works straight, over Greek yogurt, on cheesecake, in cocktails, or pressed through a sieve when you only want the juice for syrups and dressings.
