Vegetables 101: What Is a Tomatillo? What Are Tomatillos?
So many vegetables, so many that are unfamiliar! This is the latest in an occasional series of posts, quick, easy and practical information about out-of-the-ordinary vegetables. Recipe suggestions included! Today's subject? One of my very favorite summer vegetables, the tomatillo! If you've never seen a tomatillo growing on the plant, you're in for a treat, they are so pretty! WHAT ARE TOMATILLOS? A tomatillo may well look like a "green tomato" (that is, an immature, unripe tomato) and is some times even called a green tomato. But a tomatillo is not a tomato at all, despite its outer appearance! First, a tomatillo is smaller than a tomato, ranging from the size of a golf ball to a baseball. Second, a tomatillo stays green, where an immature green tomato will eventually ripen and turn red. HOW TO PRONOUNCE TOMATILLO? The word is pronounced [toe-muh-TEE-yo]. The plural of tomatillo is tomatillos [toe-muh-TEE-yoz]. OTHER NAMES FOR TOMATILLOS A tomatillo is a