Buzz
Passion fruit is arguably one of the most delicious fruits in the world. What makes this fruit even more remarkable is its compact size, allowing you to easily carry it anywhere, whether you're hiking, heading to work, or keeping it at home for a quick snack (just make sure you have a knife or something sharp to cut it). Continue reading the guide below to learn how to select, prepare, and enjoy passion fruit.
Steps
Choosing Ripe Passion Fruit
Examine the skin of the passion fruit. Look for passion fruit with slightly wrinkled skin and a deep purple color—these are ripe and very sweet. While you might prefer clean-looking fruit, it doesn't matter much since you only eat the inside. The softer the skin, the riper the fruit.
Shake the passion fruit. Hold the passion fruit and give it a gentle shake. If you feel a lot of liquid or weight inside, it means the fruit is full of seeds and juice (which makes it delicious). Compare it with others to find the one with the fullest pulp.
Smell the passion fruit. You can also gauge the flavor of the passion fruit by its scent. If you detect a strong tropical aroma, the fruit will likely taste amazing. If there’s no noticeable smell, the passion fruit might be sour and/or flavorless.
Wash and Cut the Passion Fruit
Wash the passion fruit. After purchasing passion fruit, make sure to wash it thoroughly. Even though you don’t eat the skin, it’s important to clean it well to avoid accidentally introducing chemicals, bacteria, or harmful pests into your body. This can happen when cutting an unwashed fruit, as the knife can transfer contaminants from the skin to the inner flesh.
Cut the passion fruit. After washing, place the passion fruit on a cutting board. Gently use a knife to slice it in half. A serrated knife works best for cutting through the tough skin. Try not to let too much of the inner juice spill out, as this is the most flavorful part.
Know which parts to eat and which to avoid. When you open a passion fruit, you’ll notice the orange flesh separates from the white inner lining. Simply scoop out the flesh with a spoon or fork into a bowl (or straight into your mouth). Avoid scraping too close to the skin, as this part is bitter and unpleasant.
Discard the skin after eating and store any unused portion. Consider using the skin as compost. If you haven’t finished the fruit, you can scoop the pulp into a small bowl and cover it with plastic wrap to maintain freshness. Alternatively, wrap the remaining half in plastic and refrigerate it.
Ideas for Preparing Passion Fruit
Try making passion fruit juice. Passion fruit juice is the kind of drink ancient people referred to as the ‘nectar of the gods.’
How about a passion fruit margarita or martini? Instead of stopping at juice, why not get creative with delicious cocktails? There’s no harm in trying!
Make passion fruit jam. Waking up in the morning and spreading some passion fruit jam on your toast is a guaranteed way to start your day on a fantastic note. Beginning your day with passion fruit will make you feel like wonderful things are waiting for you ahead.
Or try making passion fruit wine. Forget the usual berry wines and experiment with a new flavor that makes you feel like you’re sitting on a warm beach, even when it’s freezing outside.
Try adding passion fruit to yogurt. Why not create a new flavor by mixing fresh passion fruit into Greek yogurt? This not only adds sweetness but also gives you a refreshing boost.
Tips
- The more wrinkled the passion fruit skin, the sweeter the fruit will taste. Just make sure your passion fruit hasn’t turned brown (this indicates it’s overripe and may not be good to eat).
