From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
The fruit, Passiflora edulis, of the passion flower plant, so named because Jesuit missionaries in South America saw symbols of the Crucifixion in the flower's exquisite, intricate bloom; the early meaning of "passion" being "suffering", as it relates to Christ's suffering on the cross. In its stems, they saw the whips; and in its showy filaments, they saw the crown of thorns. They compared its leaves to spears, its stamens to hammers, its 10 sepals to the faithful apostles present at the Crucifixion and other parts to nails, flesh wounds and a halo. Any other fruit with wrinkled, moldy skin would be considered ready for the garbage - but not so with this exotic fruit. The plant the missionaries found was a purple-skinned one indigenous to South America, also known as "purple granadilla." This round, pale fruit, about the size of an egg, is picked when the skin is smooth and reaches its peak of ripeness when its skin wrinkles. Passion fruit can be eaten fresh or used to make preserves, sauces and ice cream. It's most readily available in the summer. The seeds are edible and are traditionally sprinkled on top of the dessert Pavlova. See also lilikoi.
