name: Mexican Groundcherry

flavor_db_name_variants: mexican groundcherry

source: foodb

status: draft

food_db_id: Mexican groundcherry

id: 491

name_scientific: Physalis philadelphica var. immaculata

description: The tomatillo (Physalis philadelphica) is a plant of the nightshade family, related to the cape gooseberry, bearing small, spherical and green or green-purple fruit of the same name. Tomatillos originated in Mexico,[1] and are a staple of that country's cuisine. Tomatillos are grown as annuals throughout the Western Hemisphere. Tomatillos are generally eaten fried, boiled or steamed. The tomatillo fruit is surrounded by an inedible, 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 several colors when ripe, including yellow, red, green, or even purple. Tomatillos are the key ingredient in fresh and cooked Mexican and Central-American green sauces. The freshness and greenness of the husk are quality criteria. Fruit should be firm and bright green, as the green color and tart flavor are the main culinary contributions of the fruit. Purple and red-ripening cultivars often have a slight sweetness, unlike the green- and yellow-ripening cultivars, and are therefore somewhat more suitable for fruit-like uses like jams and preserves. Like their close relatives cape gooseberries, tomatillos have a high pectin content. Another characteristic is they tend to have a varying degree of a sappy sticky coating, mostly when used on the green side out of the husk.

itis_id: 529632

wikipedia_id: Mexican_Groundcherry

picture_file_name: 502.jpg

picture_content_type: image/jpeg

picture_file_size: 2962

picture_updated_at: 2012-04-20T09:38:44.000Z

legacy_id: 529

food_group: Vegetables

food_subgroup: Fruit vegetables

food_type: Type 1

created_at: 2011-02-09T00:37:45.000Z

updated_at: 2019-05-14T18:05:26.000Z

creator_id: null

updater_id: null

export_to_afcdb: false

category: specific

ncbi_taxonomy_id: 374021

export_to_foodb: true

public_id: FOOD00491