What Are Tomatillos? How to Use This Mexican Ingredient

When is a tomato not a tomato? When it’s a tomatillo. Plump, round, and juicy, tomatillos are a fundamental part of Central American cuisine. Although they look and sound very similar to tomatoes, these berries that grow enclosed in a papery, thin husk are more related to Cape gooseberries and Chinese Lantern plants than tomatoes. Let’s peel off their outer layer and get into tomatillos.

What are tomatillos?

Tomatillos, literally “small tomatoes” in Spanish, are spherical, plump berries containing seeds and range in color from green to yellow to purple with shiny skins coated in a sticky substance that shields against insects. As they mature, the fruits grow inside a covering that expands with the berry into a calyx, a papery-thin skin that gives the fruit its common name: husk tomato. Their texture can be firm when ripe to slightly soft when overripe.

What do tomatillos taste like?

Tomatillos are tart, citrusy and tangy with a slight sweetness. Unripened tomatillos tend to be acidic while ripe tomatillos are sweeter. Their high pectin content lends thickness to sauces and stews.

How to purchase and store tomatillos

Tomatillos are readily available in Mexican and Latin American supermarkets as well as farmers markets in the late summer or early fall. Look for tomatillos that are bright green, plump, and firm or semi-firm. It’s OK if some of the husk has been removed, but give preference to ones with their husk still on. 

If consumed shortly after purchasing, tomatillos can be stored on the counter in the open air for one or two days. Tomatillos can also be stored in a paper bag in the refrigerator for one to two weeks. If you opt for freezing tomatillos, be sure to remove the husk and rinse any sticky residue from their skin. Store them whole in an airtight container in the freezer for eight to 12 months.

How to prepare and cook tomatillos

The sweet, sour, and tangy flavors of tomatillos make them an indispensable ingredient in Mexican and Central American cuisines. To prepare them, start by gently pulling all the leaves of the thin, brittle husk back to the top of the tomatillo, then gently twist and remove them. Make sure to thoroughly rinse the fruit under running water to dissolve the sticky substance on the skin. 

Tomatillos can be eaten raw, as in this Tomatillo Salsa Cruda; roasted, as in Salsa Asada de Aguacate (Avocado Salsa); grilled, as in this version of a classic salsa verde; or boiled, as in another version of a salsa verde. Aside from salsas, tomatillos lend their color to Chicken Pozole Verde, a hearty soup of hominy and chicken. Their naturally high pectin content also makes tomatillos ideal for making jam. Given their long history and adaptability to a variety of cooking techniques, tomatillos are an ideal ingredient to have in your kitchen, ready for any number of preparations any day of the week. 

When are tomatillos grown and harvested?

Tomatillos are an annual plant grown and harvested throughout the summer and early fall. They’re planted throughout the warmer months and harvested before the earliest autumn frost, about 60 to 75 days after planting. Tomatillos are ready when they’re firm and fill the husk when it changes from green to yellow and begins to split open. Usually, the fruits fall naturally from the plant when mature, though they are also harvested with pruning scissors.

Although tomatillos are members of the same Solanaceae family of nightshades as potatoes, eggplants, chiles, tobacco, and yes, tomatoes — tomatillos are not tomatoes. Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are part of the Solanum genus while tomatillos belong to the Physalis genus, or ground cherry, where it is one of up to 80 known species. Several types are consumed throughout the world, including tomatillos (Physalis ixocarpa, a subspecies of Physalis philadelphica), low-ground cherries (Physalis pubescens), and Cape gooseberries (Physalis peruviana).

Where are tomatillos from?

Tomatillos are native to Mexico and Central America. Their name is derived from tomatl, meaning “water fruit” in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, who are credited with domesticating tomatillos as early as 860 BC. In addition, the word tomatl has different applications in Nahuatl, referenced in the name of each variety: including xitomatl, also known as jitomate in Mexico, which refers to the common red tomato, and miltomatl (meaning “tomato that grows among corn”), which refers to the husk tomato. Today, tomatillos are known as tomate, tomate verde, miltomate, and tomate de milpa. 

In the 16th century, when Spaniards first encountered tomatillos along with tomatoes, their visual and linguistic similarities caused confusion among European explorers and scientists. This resulted in treating both miltomatl and xitomatl in the same manner, including translating their names into a common word: tomate. Still, husk tomatoes didn’t take hold in Spain since they resembled the Chinese Lantern plant (Physalis alkekengi), a highly poisonous nightshade primarily used for decoration.