Passion Fruit and Granadilla: Compare and Contrast

The Exotic Fruit Club of MTV Networks New York tried a passion fruit. It was amazing. I recall us  sitting around the table in Mark Smith's office trying to describe how amazing the flavor was in this wrinkly little guy. Here in Berlin, passion fruits are everywhere. They are available in even the smallest grocery stores and at a much more reasonable price. I eat one almost everyday. Yes, I am living the dream.


But my enthusiasm for fruits exotic has not waned with the increased availability, if anything I find myself tranced in the produce aisle examining if this is a new kind of plum or one I've seen before. My hummus quest of last weekend brought me to a large grocery store in the basement of the Karstadt Department Store. That was a jackpot of exotica, it was like when I discovered the corner of Baxter and Walker in Chinatown. As to not be greedy, I only acquired a Star Fruit and a Granadilla, leaving the Guava and the Tamarillo for another day.

I have tried star fruit before but never had the whole one myself like I did on Monday, check it out:

 

A granadilla is to passion fruit, as rambutan is to lychee. So I decided to eat them together for my analysis

The granadilla's skin was a little more papery than the passion fruit. When cutting, it was dryer and a little spongier (like the inside of the pomelo). When I went in for it, the first thing I noticed as that the meat all came out with one scoop! 

All the seeds were viscously interconnected. Now the taste: extremely mild with pineapple hints but very subtle. Reminded me of a mangosteen. Similar texture to other fruits where one eats the seeds but drier than a horned melon and slimier than the fruit of passion. When cleaned, the seeds are nearly identical to watermelon seeds (not the weenie white ones but the big black ones) and crunchy like watermelon seeds as well. I ate them in the first half but cleaned and spit them out like concord grape seeds in the second.


Side by side: the passion fruit is much more tart and it's flavor is anything but subtle. Compared to the juicy granadilla, the passion fruit has a little chalky aftertaste (but not bad). For my last bite of each I stirred them together and created a crazy concoction of fruit mush. Instead of blowing my mind, it tasted kind of like a mango.


The granadilla is enjoyable and refreshing but the seeds really take away from the flavor as it is so easily overpowered. Removing the seeds is an arduous task for such little meat. I am sure some people would also have issues with the granadilla's sliminess. Would I see myself picking up a granadilla at the store for a Tuesday evening treat? Probably not. Passion fruit? Yes, please! Passion fruit 1, Granadilla 0.