Passion fruit (fruit)

The passion fruit (Portuguese: maracujá and Spanish: maracuyá, both from the Tupi mara kuya, lit. "fruit that serves itself" or "food in a cuia") and granadilla is the fruit of several plants in the genus Passiflora. It is native to subtropical regions of South America from southern Brazil through Paraguay to northern Argentina. The fruit is eaten for its pulp and seeds, and as a juice. The name passion fruit derives from 18th century Christian missionaries who interpreted the flower as a religious symbol.