Mauritius: The amazing passion fruit, so delicious!
We are forever grateful in Mauritius to benefit from a moderate climate temperature throughout the year. This condition allows us to fully enjoy tropical fruits and vegetables. One of the most amazing, requiring very little care is the passion fruit or granadilla… so delicious!
Native to America, this vigorous climbing plant is named as such from various elements. Its flower by shape and its various stages is associated with the Passion of Christ. The crown of thorns is the heart, the petals represent the apostles, the five stamens refer to the five wounds of Christ. The hammers used to push the nails on the cross are showcased by the pistil. Bees are often seen wandering inside its heart. They come to collect the pollen inside these bi-colored beautiful flowers.
There are around hundred varieties world-wide, but the best known in the gardens of Mauritius are the yellowish and purple ones. The cultivation is mostly set on wires to allow the creeping plant to grow freely.
Known as Passiflora, this plant has been associated to therapeutic properties, and it would treat anxiety, insomnia, asthma, bronchitis and urinary tract infections among others. But in sunny Mauritius the juice of Passion fruit, of exceptional flavor can be consumed in mousse, sorbet, cocktail, syrup, or simply to embellish salads.
I have tried some of the tastiest fruit desserts from the book ‘Australian Women’s Weekly’. They are just mouth-watering… So what are you waiting for? Grasp a passion fruit, and after use, sow the seeds! You will be delighted to see how fast they grow … This is what I did!
Lza M Natur
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