Tomatillo (Purple)

Physalis philadelphica · Fruit vegetable

40 pairings

The purple tomatillo is a violet-skinned cultivar of the tomatillo (Physalis philadelphica), a small husk-wrapped fruit of the nightshade family. Sweeter and markedly less acidic than the common green tomatillo, its anthocyanin-stained skin ranges from lavender to deep blackberry-purple, prized for a fruitier, more fig-like flavour and for the dramatic colour it lends to salsas and preserves.

Picking a good onedrag

Deep violet, husk just splitShrivelled, weeping, slimy in the husk

Green-shoulderedHusk and rinse, and expect more film on the greener fruit. Tarter, nearer a green tomatillo: the one for salsa verde, for roasting whole, for a long green sauce.Everyday best

HuskTight papery husk, the fruit filling it out

Skin under the huskPurple on the sun side, green on the other

Husked and rinsedStickier to rinse clean; hard, dense, no give

What to look for, from deep violet, husk just split to shrivelled, weeping, slimy in the husk.

Preparing