Tomatillo ~ Unique Share

Friday, February 25, 2011

Tomatillo

Tomatillo

Fresh harvest of German tomatillos
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Solanales
Family:	Solanaceae
Genus:	Physalis
Species:	P. philadelphica
Binomial name
*Physalis philadelphica* Lam. (1786)
Synonyms
Physalis ixocarpa Brot.

The tomatillo (Physalis philadelphica) is a plant of the tomato family, related to the cape gooseberry, bearing small, spherical and green or green-purple fruit of the same name. Tomatillos, referred to as green tomato (Spanish: tomate verde) in Mexico, are a staple in Mexican cuisine. Tomatillos are grown throughout the Western Hemisphere.

1 Description
2 Names
3 Image gallery

Description

The tomatillo fruit is surrounded by a paper-like husk formed from the calyx. As the fruit matures, it fills the husk and can split it open by harvest. The husk turns brown, and the fruit can be any of a number of colors when ripe, including yellow, red, green, or even purple. Tomatillos are the key ingredient in fresh and cooked Latin American green sauces. The freshness and greenness of the husk are quality criteria. Fruit should be firm and bright green, as the green colour and tart flavour are the main culinary contributions of the fruit.
Tomatillo plants are highly self-incompatible (two or more plants are needed for proper pollination; thus isolated tomatillo plants rarely set fruit).
Ripe tomatillos will keep in the refrigerator for about two weeks. They will keep even longer if the husks are removed and the fruits are placed in sealed plastic bags stored in the refrigerator.^[1] They may also be frozen whole or sliced.

Names

The tomatillo is also known as the husk tomato, jamberry, husk cherry, Mexican tomato, or ground cherry, although these names can also refer to other species in the Physalis genus. In Spanish it is called tomate de cáscara, tomate de fresadilla, tomate milpero, tomate verde ("green tomato"), tomatillo Mexico (this term means "little tomato" elsewhere), miltomate (Mexico, Guatemala), or simply tomate (in which case the tomato is called jitomate). Even though tomatillos are sometimes called "green tomatoes", they should not be confused with green, unripe tomatoes (tomatoes are in the same family, but a different genus). In Assamese it is called pokmou. In Tamil its called "MaNn Thakkali" (a is silent in Mann) - soil tomato. Its traditionally used for treating sour mouth, ulcer in South India. In northern parts on India it is called "rasbhari" and is generally eaten as a fruit when ripe, relished for its sweet-sour flavour and plentiful juice.