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Blue Crown Fruit
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Description/Taste
Blue Crown fruit grow on tall, vining plants and appear following stunning white and blue flowers. The fruits are round and slightly elongated measuring around 5 centimeters in diameter. The skin matures from green to a deep orange. Beneath the rind is a thick white pith and a central cavity containing small, edible red seeds coated with a gelatinous pulp. The seeds offer a sweet and subtly bitter flavor with notes of blackberry.
Seasons/Availability
Blue Crown fruit is available year-round in tropical climates and in the late summer and early fall elsewhere.
Current Facts
Blue Crown fruit is a rare variety of South American passion fruit botanically known as Passiflora caerulea. The fruit often takes a back seat to the stunning flower that appears before the fruits mature and ripen. They are lesser known than the purple passionfruit and Andean maracuya. In Paraguay they are known by the name Mburucuyá, a Guarani word originally used by the indigenous people of the area.
Nutritional Value
Blue Crown fruit is a good source of both vitamins A and C, and contains dietary fiber, iron and potassium. The fruits are a source of beneficial carotenoids and flavonoids that provide antioxidant and calming properties.
Applications
Blue Crown fruit is used much like other varieties of passionfruit. The seeds and pulp are scooped out and the rind discarded. The juice can be extracted by pushing the seeds and pulp through a fine screen or cheesecloth. It is used for ice creams, beverages, sauces, marinades and dressings, etc. The flavor may not be as intense as other passionfruit varieties. Store whole Blue Crown fruits in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. The seeds and pulp can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
The Blue Crown flower has attracted admirers throughout time and was given the name “passion flower” by 16th century Spanish missionaries in South America. To them, the flower symbolized the final period of Christ’s life and his suffering, often referred to as ‘Christ’s Passion’. Each sepal, or calyx (the green part beneath the flower), and petal represents the disciples of Christ, the coronal filaments as the crown of thorns and the purple stamen represents the 5 wounds inflicted upon him. The native people of South America used the flower to make tea to ease anxiety, treat epilepsy, and cure hysteria and insomnia. Europeans later believed the tea made from Blue Crown flower imbued the properties of Christ by relieving suffering and anxieties of true believers.
Geography/History
Blue Crown fruit are native to the region in South America that is now southern Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. The plant is somewhat cold hardy and can handle low temperatures, though it will not produce fruit. In its native, tropical environment, the plant will flower and produce fruit year-round. Passiflora caerulea was introduced to the United States as an ornamental plant and it can be found growing in the southern portions of California, Florida and Louisiana. It can also be found growing in New Zealand and on some South Pacific islands. The plant requires a lot of attention and care in order to produce fruits in these areas. In South America, they can be spotted at local markets and street merchants.
Recently Shared
Someone shared Blue Crown Fruit using the Specialty Produce app for iPhone and Android.
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Lemon Grove, CA
Near Lemon Grove, California, United StatesAbout 477 days ago, 6/05/22 |
