Passion fruit (fruit): what does it look like, how is it eaten, what taste?
This exotic fruit is cultivated commercially in South Africa, Australia, Hawaii, Thailand, South America, although it is native to the tropics of Brazil.
In Russia, passion fruit is known under the name "passion flower", "passion flower", "granadilla". There is a legend that the Italian Jesuit monk F. Ferrari called this plant passionflower in memory of the suffering of Jesus Christ. When he was shown the passionflower flower, he compared the parts of the plant to the garments, the Savior's wounds, the crown of thorns and nails from his crucifixion.
In its homeland, in tropical forests, passion fruit grows on strong vines of almost ten meters in length with dark green leaves. There are several dozen varieties of this species. Passion fruit flowers are not very large, after pollination for 80 days, a fragrant fruit forms in place of the flower.
Content:
- Passion fruit composition
- What does passion fruit look like?
- Useful properties of passion fruit
- What does passion fruit taste like?
- How is passion fruit eaten?
- Growing passionfruit at home
- Contraindications to the use of passion fruit
Passion fruit composition
100 g of passionfruit contains:
- Water - 78 g
- Proteins - 2.4 g
- Fat - 0.4 g
- Carbohydrates - 13.4 g
Dietary fiber (fiber) -1.5 g
Vitamins:
- Vitamin A (beta-carotene) - 0.24 mg
- Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - 0.02 mg
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - 0.1 mg
- Niacin (vitamin B3 or vitamin PP) - 2.5 mg
- Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) - 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) - 0.4 mg
- Folic acid (vitamin B9) - 14 mcg
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) 24 mg
- Vitamin E (tocopherol) - 0.4 mg
- Biotin (vitamin H) - 5 mcg
- Vitamin K (phylloquinone) - 10 mcg
Macronutrients:
- Potassium - 340 mg
- Calcium - 17 mg
- Magnesium - 9 mg
- Sodium - 28 mg
- Sulfur - 19 mcg
- Chlorine - 37 mg
- Phosphorus - 57 mg
Trace elements:
- Iron - 1.3 mg
- Iodine - 1.3 mcg
- Manganese - 120 mcg
- Copper - 120 mcg
- Zinc - 0.25 mg
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Fluoride - 20 mcg
What does passion fruit look like?
Those who have never seen passion fruit can imagine a large plum of yellow or dark purple color. This exotic fruit grows on a vine, its length ranges from 6 to 12 cm. Passion fruit, which is not quite ripe, has a smooth skin, and its ripe fruit has a wrinkled surface. The peel of the fruit is quite dense, it reliably keeps the pulp from mechanical damage.
Useful properties of passion fruit
The passionfruit contains almost no fat, protein and carbohydrates predominate, which allows those who care about their weight to use this fruit in their diet. The calorie content of 100 g of a tropical delicacy is only 65-70 kcal. But the benefits of passion fruit are not only in use in dietary nutrition, it has many valuable properties.
Useful properties of passion fruit:
- Strengthening the immune system - vitamins and antioxidants in this fruit neutralize free radicals, carrying out a kind of prevention of viral infections, increases the body's resistance.
- Cancer Prevention - Flavonoids, phenols, vitamins A and C are anticarcinogenic, activating white blood cells, eliminating free radicals.
- Prevention of ophthalmic diseases - even small portions of regularly consumed passion fruit will strengthen eye health, serve as an excellent prevention of vision degeneration, cataracts and night blindness.
- Revitalizing the skin, eliminating wrinkles, normalizing the epidermis - masks and scrubs from this fruit are very effective thanks to vitamin A, which is abundantly contained in passion fruit.
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Benefits for the intestines - The abundance of fiber contained in this fruit is great for stimulating the intestines. Digesting food, fighting constipation, eliminating toxins, balancing blood sugar - these properties of passion fruit effectively regulate the digestive process.
- Normalization of blood pressure - with regular use of this fruit, a pronounced vasodilating effect is felt, which normalizes blood pressure for a long time.
- An auxiliary remedy for cardiac pathologies - an abundance of potassium, copper, iron supports the work of the heart muscle, helps to improve blood circulation.
- Prevention of insomnia - the abundance of macro- and microelements in the fruit pulp helps to improve the condition of bone tissue, increase its density and strength. The use of passion fruit is recommended to prevent age-related osteoporosis, relieve joint inflammation, and reduce pain.
In addition, passion fruit relieves headaches and symptoms of menopause, helps with insomnia, promotes the beauty of nails and hair, and slows down the aging process.
What does passion fruit taste like?
At the stage of full maturity, passion fruit is juicy and sweet, it consists of 40% juice. There are many opinions about what passion fruit tastes like. To some, it resembles a kiwi, to someone - ripe sea buckthorn. Most often, the taste of the yellow-orange pulp resembles a mixture of tastes and aromas of strawberry, plum, apricot, peach, gooseberry. This fantastic mix leaves no one indifferent. To experience this bouquet, you need to acquire a ripe, heavy fruit with a wrinkled skin.
How is passion fruit eaten?
The dense peel of passionfruit is not edible, after consumption it is thrown away. In the homeland of this exotic plant, it is customary to eat the pulp with a spoon, choosing it from half of the fruit. To do this correctly, with the least loss of valuable juice, you need to cut the peel of the passionfruit in a circle, trying to make a cut so as not to cut the fruit in half. After that, the halves are severed with a quick movement, trying not to lose a drop of refreshing juice. Passion fruit seeds are edible, they are eaten with the pulp.
The pulp of this fruit is widely used in the cooking of the countries of its traditional cultivation. It is added to salads, mousses, pie fillings, and sauces. Edible passionfruit seeds in Brazil are used to decorate pastries. It is believed that by eating a cake or pastry with such decoration, a person becomes calmer. The tonic juice of this fruit is drunk undiluted, added to cocktails and other drinks.
Growing passionfruit at home
If desired, passion fruit can be grown at home, in a short time it will braid a large space with its shoots and begin to bloom with amazingly beautiful flowers. Of course, its shoots will not reach ten meters in length, like passionfruit lianas in the tropics of Brazil, however, this plant will decorate the interior with bright greenery, amazingly beautiful unusual flowers and, possibly, will bear fruit.
There are two types of breeding:
- Seed,
- With cuttings.
For grafting, you need to have an adult fruiting passion fruit plant on hand. The easiest way to get your own copy is by seed propagation. Planting material can be purchased at a specialty store, where the seeds are most likely sold under the trade name "passionflower" or extracted from ripe fruit yourself. The washed and dried seeds must be disinfected by washing them in a weak solution of soda or potassium permanganate.
The soil components for cultivation are also calcined for an hour in the oven or for 15-20 minutes in the microwave to prevent the tropical sissy from contaminating with fungal diseases to which she has no immunity.
Soil composition:
- Humus - 1 part;
- Coarse river sand - 1 part,
- Sod land - 2 parts.
Seeds are placed in nutrient soil, lightly sprinkled with earth, shedding soil and covered with foil until shoots appear. They will have to wait long enough - at least a month. All this time, the soil is ventilated, opening the film, and kept moist. It is necessary that the container stands in a bright place at a temperature not lower than room temperature.
Passion fruit care after germination:
- Placing the plant - only in a bright place, free from drafts. If the plant is on the windowsill, it is not recommended to open the window or the window leaf.
- Watering - only as needed, after the topsoil has dried out.
- Top dressing - every 15 days with complex fertilization, fertilizers for tomatoes are excellent, foliar spraying with stimulants such as "Epin", "Zircon" is welcomed in accordance with the instructions.
- Passion fruit support is extremely necessary, since in a few months this plant is able to completely close the window opening with its shoots. It should be noted that this vine is practically unable to grow if its shoots are directed downward or tied with twine. The best option is a solid support in the form of a trellis or a special lattice.
- Transplanting - is carried out in the phase of 3-4 true leaves immediately in the pot in which the plant will spend its life. If you do not transplant passion fruit at this point, later it will be technically more difficult to do due to the abundant vegetative mass of the shoots.
- Pollination is carried out manually with a soft brush. The best time for this operation is the first half of the day, the air humidity must be at least 65%, otherwise the pollen loses its ability to pollinate.
With careful implementation of all technological operations, the first fruits will delight after the first year of passion fruit cultivation. But, even if this does not happen, exotic flowers and abundant greenery will become the pride of the florist.
Contraindications to the use of passion fruit
With extreme caution, this fruit should be consumed by those who have experience in dealing with any allergic manifestations. It is extremely rare, but still there is an individual intolerance to exotic fruits. Do not use passion fruit to feed young children. Even if the child is not prone to allergies, the baby's immature gastrointestinal tract can react in the most extraordinary way.
Persons suffering from diabetes should be aware that prolonged storage of passion fruit in a cool place in them significantly increases the amount of sugar. Particular attention should be paid to thorough cleaning of fruits purchased in the retail network, since for the safety of fruits during long-term transportation, they are treated with wax and antibacterial drugs. It is advisable that these funds do not enter the body during meals.
The use of passion fruit will bring many benefits to exotic fruit consumers. Its rich composition normalizes many functions of the body, has a positive effect on the condition of the skin, nails, hair, and growing this plant at home will bring a lot of pleasant impressions.
The author of the article: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist
Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after NI Pirogov with a degree in General Medicine (2004). Residency at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).
