Passionfruit – curuba (frozen pulp)

Description

A member of the passion fruit family, the curuba looks somewhat like a straight, small banana with rounded ends, hence the nickname ‘banana passion fruit’. It’s yellow to green once ripe and has an orange pulp with black seeds which is often enjoyed with a little sugar.

The curuba is used to flavour meringues, cakes, fruit sauces and gelatin desserts such as ‘esponjada de curuba’. Another popular treat in Colombia is curuba ice cream. Because of curuba’s high pectin content it is also used to make fruit preserves. It can be used in fruit salads, crepes, yogurt; in fact, anywhere that passion fruit is used.

Like passion fruit, curuba is a good source of fibre, gained primarily from the seeds. The fruit is also high in phosphorous, niacin, calcium, iron and sodium. Curuba is high in vitamin C and contains vitamin A too.