What is it?
Passion fruit is a type of fruit called a pepo — a many-seeded berry (along with cucumbers, watermelons and pumpkins) that has a hard rind and a juicy interior.
The color of its skin varies from dark purple to dark red, orange or yellow. Purple is said to be the juiciest with the richest flavor. They are most ripe when they’re all wrinkly.
The fruit goes by a few different names — in Hawaii, it’s liliko’i; in Brazil, it’s called maracuya or you might also see it called granadilla.
Where do they come from?
Passion plants are native to parts of South America — more than 200 species can be found in the Amazon.
How do you eat them?
To eat a one, cut it in half and scoop out the pulp and edible seeds. Because of the tartness, passion fruit are often combined with other ingredients, such as mango (think smoothies).
Health benefits
If you have trouble sleeping or just need to calm down, add some passion fruit to your diet. The juice, leaves and flowers of the passion vine contain an alkaloid that has a mild sedative effect.
Passion fruit are loaded with all kinds of good stuff, including vitamins A and C, antioxidants, iron, potassium, magnesium, riboflavin and niacin.
