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Physalis
Physalis peruviana · Fruit
40 pairings
The cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana) — also called goldenberry, Inca berry or physalis — is a small, glossy golden-orange berry wrapped in its own papery, lantern-like husk. Sweet-tart and juicy with a bright tropical tang somewhere between tomato and pineapple, it is eaten fresh, dipped in chocolate as a petit four, and cooked into jams, chutneys and sauces.
Half-turnedHalf yellow, half orange in a drying husk — the point growers pick for export. Keeps for weeks and sweetens on the counter.Buy it
ColourHalf yellow, half orange, waxy sheen
The huskYellow-green, drying, ribs starting to show
In the fingersFirm and heavy for its size, springs back
SmellFaintly tropical up close
What to look for, from green, hard, husk gripping to slack, weeping, husk damp.
What one gives you
94%
Usable yield
Husk off · 4.7 g berry, 6% dry husk
5.03 g
Typical weight
one specimen
Keeping ittap a band
A domestic fridge holds it about 2× longer than the counter.
Humidity
85-95%
The 35-day cold trial ran at 90% RH, so the berry wants damp air — but the husk has to stay dry, so wash only the handful you are eating.
Airflow
Husk on
The calyx is the packaging: fruit kept in it make less ethylene, lose less weight and keep longer. Leave the husk on until you eat it.
Climacteric — makes it, answers to it
Climacteric and autocatalytic — it ripens on after picking, and blocking its ethylene receptors holds it back, so a neighbouring apple or banana moves it too.