Tomatillos are a great place to start if you’re looking for a new culinary experience.
These unique fruits belong to the tomato family and have a tart flavor similar to green tomatoes but with more edge.
Tomatillos are used in salsa verde, other sauces, and Mexican food, like enchiladas and quesadillas.
However, before you try to cook with these tasty fruits (which are technically more vegetables than fruit), it’s essential to understand how they differ from green tomatoes—especially regarding their nutritional profiles.
Origin
Tomatillos and green tomatoes are both members of the nightshade family and are closely related to eggplants and potatoes.
However, they originated in different places: tomatillos hail from Mexico, and green tomatoes come from North America.
Tomatillos are larger than green tomatoes, with a papery husk that usually covers the fruit.
They are usually yellow or green, although they can also be red or purple.
Tomatillos have a tart flavor, similar to kiwi fruit or gooseberries.
Green tomatoes are smaller than tomatillos, with smooth skins and flesh that ranges from green to yellow, orange, or red.
Green tomatoes have a milder flavor than tomatillos and are often used in cooking as a substitute for regular tomatoes.
Appearance
Tomatillos are small and green.
They have a papery husk, which should be removed before using them in recipes.
Green tomatoes are larger than tomatillos and have a soft, fuzzy skin that doesn’t need to be removed before you cook with them (that’s the part that makes them taste so good).
Both look similar on the outside but differ in color and texture on the inside.
Tomatillos are a nightshade family member and have a unique tart taste.
They’re commonly used in Mexican cuisine, especially in salsas and chutneys.
Green tomatoes are sweeter than tomatillos (not as acidic), but they can also be used in various dishes.
Taste and flavor
Tomatillos are used in Mexican cooking and have a tart, tangy flavor.
They can be eaten raw or cooked and are used in salsas and sauces.
Tomatillos are also used to make chile Verde sauce, ceviche (raw fish marinated in lime juice), salsa verde (green sauce), tamales, and gorditas (fried cornmeal cakes).
Tomatillos are round, greenish-brown fruits that look like small tomatoes.
They can be eaten raw or cooked with a tangy, tart flavor.
Tomatillos are also used to make salsas and sauces, as well as chile Verde sauce, ceviche (raw fish marinated in lime juice), salsa verde (green sauce), tamales, and gorditas (fried cornmeal cakes).
Nutrition
Tomatillos are a fruit that grows on the same plant as tomatoes, but they’re not technically tomatoes.
They have a papery husk around them and are green in color when they’re picked fresh out of the garden.
The flavor is sweet and tangy with hints of citrus, which makes them perfect for salsa! Tomatillos contain vitamins A and C and potassium, manganese, and iron, all of which help keep your body healthy.
You can use either one interchangeably in recipes; however, if you’re looking for extra health benefits from eating these fruits (or vegetables), go with tomatillos!
They contain more fiber than green tomatoes do, and this fact alone makes them a better choice for maintaining regularity in your digestive system without feeling bloated after meals due to constipation issues caused by low-fiber foods like meat products which tend to lack insoluble fibers needed by our bodies when digesting food properly.
Conclusion
Tomatillos and green tomatoes are two fruits that look very similar but have some key differences.
Tomatillo is a type of fruit, while green tomato is not a fruit! Both are delicious in their ways and can be used in many dishes.
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