Passiflora

PassifloraFirst, the common name: Passionfruit. So named for the five stamens representing the five wounds (or stigmata) that a certain someone received at the hands of the Romans during his crucifixion. The proper Hebrew name is שעונית (“shayonit”), but no one calls them that. So I usually refer to it by its common Hebrew name פסיפלורה (“passiflora”). Unfortunately, passio in Latin also refers to the same event.

Well, you can’t win ’em all.

It’s not that I’m anti-Christian, I just don’t feel the need to promulgate the name of a fruit with specifically religious overtones.

Passiflora is a vine fruit that, when ripe, turns from a bright green to a deep shade of purple. The flowers are so garish they’re beautiful.

When they’re ripe, you don’t pick them as much as you touch them and they fall into your hand. Once picked, they’ll last a couple of weeks, shrinking and getting wrinkly. But only the outer skin changes; inside the pulp stays fresh and good, only slightly losing its sweetness. You can also pick them as they’re blushing to purple and they’ll ripen in a few days.

The pulp is sweet with a slightly sour finish. While the seeds are edible, they’ re fairly tasteless. But they’re also tough to separate from the pulp so they’re typically left in. You can’t blend it; the seeds will shatter and give your dish an unpleasant grainy texture. Rubbing it through a sieve will give you mixed results.

Israelis, the native ones at least, tend to fall in love with flavors that aren’t native to this country. Decades ago it was all about mangoes, until the country’s production met supply. Then it was pineapple, which started out as softball sized mockeries, but we’re finally growing a piña that’s at least comparable in size to Hawaiian varieties, while canned sources are plentiful. Passiflora, a native of South America, didn’t enjoy a vogue in Israel the way other fruits have. Nevertheless, it’s made its way into the national culinary identity. You can find them as a common flavor of slush ice (“barad”) throughout the country, in sorbets, soft drinks and so on. There is a passiflora wine (Danue) produced in Israel, too.

Passiflora is firmly encamped in the dessert section, with one notable exception as an acid in ceviche. It’s most widely known as one of the three classic toppings of a Pavlova: a disc of meringue topped with passiflora, strawberries and kiwifruit. It’s also used in a popular Brazilian mousse called maracujá. Personally, I cut the tops off and eat it with a spoon, or I’ll mix it in with leben.

It’s in peak season now, so I’m going to continue enjoying them for a while.

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