Passion fruit - description
Passion fruit is called the fruit of the plant of the same name, representing a species from the genus Passionflower. This plant appeared in the South American jungle, and today it is also grown in the countries of South and Central America. Other places for passion fruit cultivation are Australia, New Zealand, Israel, the Galapagos and Hawaiian Islands, and South Africa.
For good growth and fruiting passion fruit needs a lot of light and fertile soil. To date, this plant is represented by more than 400 varieties. Their fruits, most of which are suitable for human consumption, have different sizes, shapes, colors and taste.
Passion fruit - useful properties
Passion fruit is rich in vitamins, beneficial minerals, fiber and antioxidant substances. This fruit is especially useful for people suffering from diseases of the cardiovascular system, liver, urinary tract and overweight.
Passion fruit has an antimicrobial, antipyretic and laxative effect, they lower blood cholesterol and help improve the digestive system, remove uric acid and other metabolic products from the body.
Passion fruit is famous for its calming effect. Due to the content of glucoside passiflorin, passion fruit is used for the production of sedatives. There is evidence of the ability of passion fruit juice to inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Widely used passion fruit in cosmetology. Due to its high content of alpha-hydroxy acids, it is able to improve hydration and increase skin elasticity and tone. Therefore, quite often you can find cosmetics from it, designed to care for aging skin or skin prone to acne.
At the same time, the use of passion fruit is contraindicated in the presence of a tendency to allergies, as well as with individual intolerance.
Passion fruit - calories
Calorie passion fruit averages about 68 kcal.
Passion Fruit - Cooking Use
In cooking, the pulp of passion fruit is used mainly and the juice is used both in pure form and as an additive to other fruit juices and drinks, to which it gives a special aroma. The pulp is used in the manufacture of confectionery, sauces, fruit salads and desserts, as well as fillings and liquors. Passion fruit seeds are also edible, which are not as tasty as pulp, but very useful.
In Brazil, passion fruit pulp is used in the preparation of mousses and juices, and seeds are used to decorate baked goods.
In the Dominican Republic, fruits are simply eaten with sugar.
Residents of the Hawaiian and Philippine islands mainly consume passion fruit juice, piercing the fruit and drinking its contents through a tube.
In Sumatra, passion fruit is used to make syrup from passion fruit juice.
In Vietnam, it is used to make a popular dessert made of honey and passion fruit.
In Australia, sweet dessert sauces are made from passion fruit. There, this fruit is served with cheesecakes, ice cream and Pavlova’s airy desserts. Passion fruit juice is used as the basis for the production of the Passiona refreshing drink.
Mexicans season passion fruit with red pepper and lime.
In Peru, sour passion fruit is used to prepare a national seafood appetizer - ceviche.
In South Africa, passion fruit flavors yogurts, carbonated drinks and sweet pastries, as well as prepare tropical and multivitamin juice mixtures.
Sample Recipes with Passion Fruit
Recipe 1: Warm passion fruit salad with pumpkin puree.
If you want to surprise someone with your culinary talent, prepare this salad! It is satisfying and at the same time very original, thanks to the combination of potatoes with squid, arugula and chirozo sausage (you can replace any good raw smoked sausage). Pumpkin puree should definitely be prepared for the salad, which will emphasize its delicious taste.
Ingredients:
3 squid;
500 gr. new potatoes;
6 bunches of arugula;
6 pieces of passion fruit;
150 ml of orange juice;
150 gr. olive oil;
500 gr. Pumpkins
300 gr chorizo sausages;
6 grains of star anise;
to taste the salt.
Cooking method:
1. Cut the pulp of the pumpkin into arbitrary pieces, fill it with cold water so that it only covers them, bring to a boil and cook until soft.
2. Quickly fry the star anise in a pan without oil. We pour water from a pan with pumpkin, add star anise to the pumpkin pulp and wipe them together through a sieve.
3. We extract the pulp from the fruits of passion fruit. We mix it in a saucepan with orange juice, bring the mixture to a boil and boil it over low heat. When it thickens, remove from heat and pass the mixture through a sieve, then add olive oil to it and mix thoroughly.
4. After washing the potatoes, boil it directly in the peel. Squids are cut into fairly large pieces. Chorizo cut into thin cubes.
5. After peeling the boiled potato, cut it in half and fry with a small amount of olive oil, salt. Picking potatoes out of the pan, quickly fry the squid pieces in the same place. Then, after taking the squid, we do not fry in the same pan, but only heat the chorizo. After mixing in the pan all the warm ingredients of the salad, season it with the prepared sauce of passion fruit, orange juice and olive oil, add the leaves of ruccola and mix well again.
6. Serve the salad on warm plates. Putting in the center of each tablespoon of pumpkin puree, spread the salad around it and sprinkle with olive oil.
Recipe 2: Strawberry Passion Fruit Dessert
This dish rightfully claims to be gourmet, thanks to a combination of strawberries with passion fruit, nectarines and raspberries. Great for a romantic dinner.
Ingredients:
1.2 kg of strawberries;
3 tbsp. l Sahara;
100 ml of dry white wine;
3 fruits of passion fruit;
2 nectarines;
250 gr raspberries;
fresh mint.
Cooking method:
1. Wash the strawberries and remove the ponytails. Having set aside 200 grams, mix the rest with sugar and grind it in a blender in mashed potatoes. Then mix the mashed potatoes with wine.
2. Having cut the passion fruit in half, we extract the seeds from there and add them to the strawberry puree.
3. Chalk chopped the remaining strawberries with nectarines, add them with raspberries to the strawberry puree. Covering the container with dessert, put it in the refrigerator for an hour. After cooling, pour into soup plates, garnishing with mint leaves.
Recipe 3: Curd Casserole with Passion Fruit
Delicate cottage cheese goes well with sweet and sour fruits of passion fruit. This is a delicious and healthy dessert, which is definitely worth preparing.
Ingredients:
300 gr low-fat loose curd;
250 gr soft fat cottage cheese;
100 gr. Sahara;
1 egg
5 fruits of passion fruit;
2 tbsp. l starch;
30 gr butter.
Cooking method:
1. Having mixed crumbly cottage cheese with soft, we add sugar and an egg to it.
2. Cut 3 fruits of passion fruit in half and take out the flesh from there, squeeze the juice out of it. We breed starch in it and add to the curd mixture.
3. Having greased the mold with oil, sprinkle it with flour or chopped nuts and put the resulting dough into it. Bake for about half an hour.
4. After allowing the casserole to cool slightly, cut it into slices, put it on a plate and decorate with the pulp the remaining spirit of passion fruit. Garnish with whipped cream.
Passion fruit - useful tips from experienced chefs
When buying passion fruit, you should give preference to large shriveled fruits that have a dark purple peel and sweet yellowish-green seeds. In the refrigerator, the ripe passion fruit can be stored for up to a week.
