Disclosure

This is one of my favourite things...

Passionfruit by any other name would still taste as sweet.

In fact, when I was growing up, I knew them as grenadilla and we would occassionally get teeny tiny little cans of pulp from South Africa. These were cherished and saved until needed to make the perfect fruit salad. My grandmother used to say that fruit salad without grenadilla was like an egg without salt or a man without a moustache. My grandmother had very firm ideas about certain things. But she was definitely right - passionfruit "finishes" a fruit salad.

Now I am lucky enough to live in a country where these are easily available (especially if you have friends with a tenacious vine). So to make a divine curd filling for a sponge cake I use de-seeded passionfruit pulp instead of most of the lemon juice and watch peoples eyes light up.

And sometimes I am lucky enough to find maracuja concentrate sold at grocery stores with large South American clientelle. Just add a splash to soda water and enjoy a fizzy passionfruit drink that is thirst quenching, delicious and marvellously exotic.

Passionfruit, no matter by what name they are called, are one of lifes most amazing fruits. I will eat them any way I can get them... instead of eggs for breakfast, or cracked over a bowl of vanilla icecream - heaven!