Be inspired by the delicious and colourful passion fruit

The zesty passion fruit is labelled as exotic by many, but its culinary uses are many.

It's a fruit that has been growing in popularity in recent years and it can add flavour to sauces and dressings, jams and jellies, smoothies, cocktails, ice cream and pie fillings.

Its juice has a pleasant aroma and a rich flavour, and is delicious when blended with the juices of other fruits, including mango, pineapple, peach and orange.

When selecting a passion fruit to eat, choose ones that are plump, ripe, and heavy for their size, as this indicates juiciness.

Do not be put off at the sight of slightly wrinkled skin, since these are actually the sweetest.

When kept in room temperature, passion fruits should be eaten within a couple of days, otherwise, they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

They can also be frozen for a few weeks.

7 fruity facts

1. The passion fruit is native to Brazil and can be served either sweet or sour.
2. Technically it's a berry and one fruit has only 17 calories.
3. The dark seeds are crunchy but edible.
4. The most popular varieties are purple and yellow. The purple ones are smaller but sweeter and are more commonly found in the USA. Yellow ones are larger and more sour.
5. Passion fruit juice and the leaves and flowers of the passion vine contain the alkaloid, harman, which has a mild sedative effect and can aid in inducing sleep, calm nerves and relieve anxiety.
6. It's a source of vitamin A, C and B complex and also contains minerals including iron, sodium, calcium and phosphorous.
7. Passion fruits are produced by fast-growing vines that can grow as much as six metres in one year. However, it is also short-lived and can only survive a maximum of seven years.