Foodstuff: Physalis (Cape Gooseberry) | Sybaritica

When I first saw these in our local grocery store I thought I was looking at Tomatillos because of the unusual paper skin. It wasn’t until I got closer and saw that they were smaller and of different shape that I realized I was looking at something I had never seen before. These intriguing little objects were packaged in little baskets of a dozen or so and there was no identifying label on the shelf. The baskets, however, were sitting in a larger cardboard container that had the word ‘Physalis’ written on the side. This meant absolutely nothing to me and it wasn’t until I got home and did an Internet search that I discovered that this is, in fact, the proper name for what turns out to be a fruit of South American origin. Naturally, I picked up a basket to see what they might be like…

As you can see, the pretty paper-like covering (officially known as the ‘calyx’) encloses a cute little orange colored fruit that looks very much like an unripe cherry tomato. When I pulled one out, I discovered that the upper part is covered with a slightly sticky substance rather like tree sap.

The fruit, as I have noted, originally was native to South America but it appears to have been cultivated for some time in the Cape of Good Hope region of South Africa. The most common name for it in English is ‘Cape Gooseberry’ and, while some suggest that the cape is a reference to the calyx, it seems more likely that the name hearkens to the African area of cultivation. Other names are ‘Inca Berry’, ‘Peruvian Cherry’ (the full botanical name is ‘Physalis Peruviana’) and ‘Ground Cherry’.

The fruit doesn’t have much of an aroma when you open the calyx. There is a faint smell and it is a little like a hothouse tomato with some fruity notes. Once you cut it open, the smell is a little stronger and, as you can see, the interior is fairly dense with some tiny seeds scattered throughout.

The texture, as you bite into it, is vaguely reminiscent of a tomato, although not as succulent or watery, and the seeds are less noticeable. Some have suggested that taste is a little like a tomato crossed with a gooseberry but I didn’t find that myself. It has been years since I actually tasted a gooseberry and I recall them as being much more tart. There is a fresh tasting acidity at the outset but this quickly resolves into a mellow sweetness. The taste, in fact, reminded me very much of a plum, although it was also a bit like a kiwi fruit for the first few seconds. All in all, I liked the taste, but I can’t say that it was particularly exciting, or novel, by any means.

I gather that these fruit have become quite popular as garnishes in many restaurants (although I have yet to see this) and they apparently make quite good jams. Possibly because of their appearance to tomatoes, they seem to have been adapted to quite a few uses, such as salsa, where a tomato, or tomatillo, might be used. I have even seen a suggestion that they might be good in a pasta sauce, but I am not sure how much that appeals to me, to be honest.

Since my wife and I have already sampled a few of the fruit already, I do not have many left. I came across a couple of webpages that suggest eating the fruit after dipping them in chocolate, and we may try that, but I may have enough to try making a small amount of salsa for an appetizer of some sort. If I do, I will certainly post the results of that experiment…

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