Tomatillo

Physalis philadelphica · Fruit vegetable

40 pairings

The tomatillo (Physalis philadelphica) is a small, round green fruit of the nightshade family, borne inside a papery, lantern-like husk. Tart, bright and faintly herbaceous, it is the tangy backbone of Mexican salsa verde and the green sauces of central and southern Mexico, where it is known as tomate verde or tomate de cáscara — the husk tomato.

Picking a good onedrag

Hard, green, husk snugYellowing, soft, husk spent

Husk tannedStraw husk, fruit still hard and bright green — the salsa verde standard, raw or roasted.Everyday best

HuskStraw-tan, dry, still wrapped close

The squeezeFirm, the barest give

StalkStalk dry but still holding

Smell at the huskFaintly green, mostly dry paper

What to look for, from hard, green, husk snug to yellowing, soft, husk spent.

What one gives you

96%

Usable yield

34 g · husk and stalk off

35 g

Typical weight

one specimen

Keeping ittap a band

Chill-sensitive: three weeks at 5 C pits the skin and black mould follows, colder sooner. A larder near 10 C holds them a month.

Humidity

80–90%

Moderate, not damp — the husk wants to stay leathery. Bone-dry air shrinks it off the fruit; a wet drawer mats it down and moulds it.

Airflow

Loose, never sealed

Keep the husks on and the bag paper; sealed plastic sweats and the fruit turns slimy within days.

Ethylene yellows a green one

It gives off ethylene and answers to it: exposure yellows a green fruit, off-colour for salsa, so keep it clear of bananas and apples.

Preparing