What Is Passion Fruit? The Difference Between It and Egg Fruit Explained Clearly in One Go

Passion fruit, also known as egg fruit and Passiflora, is a fruit that can beautify the skin and help with weight loss. Especially in summer, many people like to buy some to take home and steep in water with honey and lemon. So what is passion fruit? What is the difference between it and egg fruit?

1. What Is Passion Fruit?

1. Passion fruit is a herbaceous vine of the order Malpighiales, family Passifloraceae, genus Passiflora, species Passiflora caerulea. Its stems are slender and hairless, about 6 m long. It generally blooms in June and bears fruit in November. The base of the flower is pale green, the middle is purple, and the tip is white, with 5 petals. The fruit is ovoid and turns purple when ripe. The flesh inside is yellow and contains many black seeds, and it tastes sour.

2. Passion fruit, also known as Passiflora, is an aromatic fruit complete in color, fragrance, and taste. It is rich in vitamins, amino acids, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and other elements, and has the reputation of the “king of juices.” Regular consumption can reduce inflammation, detoxify, nourish and beautify the skin, and relieve fatigue, so it is very popular among women. Every summer, many people like to use it to make juice, jam, jelly, and more.

3. Passion fruit is a tropical fruit, named for containing the fragrance of more than 100 kinds of fruit. It originated in the tropical rainforest region of the Amazon River in South America. At present, it is cultivated in Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, China, Fujian, Yunnan, and other places in China, and its market price is somewhat expensive, about 10 yuan per jin.

2. What Is the Difference Between Passion Fruit and Egg Fruit?

Passion fruit and egg fruit look very similar in appearance, so many people think they are the same kind, but they are not. The specific differences between the two are as follows:

Difference 1, different families and genera: Passion fruit is a herbaceous vine of the order Malpighiales, family Passifloraceae, genus Passiflora, species Passiflora caerulea; egg fruit is a perennial plant of the order Ebenales, family Sapotaceae, genus Pouteria, species Pouteria campechiana.

Difference 2, different appearance: The passion fruit is ovoid, shaped like an egg, with a hairless surface. Its color is yellow, yellowish white, or purplish red; the egg fruit is spherical with a smooth surface. Its peel is green when unripe, and gradually changes from yellow-green to orange-yellow when ripe. The peel is thin, and the flesh inside is orange-yellow like mango.

Difference 3, different ways of eating: Passion fruit is generally not suitable to eat directly. It needs to be cut in half with a knife, then the pulp and juice inside scooped out with a spoon, and then brewed with honey, lemon, and other ingredients added to water. Of course, it can also be made into jelly, jam, juice, and more; the peel of egg fruit is very thin, so it can be peeled directly and eaten, but the pit inside is toxic, so the pit should be spat out when eating.

Difference 4, different taste: Passion fruit tastes sweet and sour, and especially when eaten with various fruits, its aroma is very pleasant. At the same time, the black seeds inside can be eaten directly, and after eating there is a strong fruity fragrance; egg fruit tastes slightly sweet, with a flavor like sweet potato and also like durian, and it smells somewhat like egg yolk.

Overall, passion fruit is a tropical fruit named for containing the fragrance of more than 100 kinds of fruit. It can not only be steeped in water with lemon and honey, but can also be made into jam, jelly, and more, and regular consumption can beautify the skin, detoxify, and so on. Although it is similar to egg fruit, the two still differ to some extent in ways of eating, taste, and appearance, so attention should be paid to distinguishing them when purchasing. If you do not know how, you can identify them according to the few small methods above.