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.