Tomatillo, a fruit native to America, similar to green tomatoes, is low in calories but richer in fat and tomato protein. With its high antioxidant power, it is useful for eyesight, heart and skin. Let's find out better.
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Description of the fruit
Not a few solanaceae are considered rare or exotic in our common markets where, in addition to aubergines, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and chillies, they generally have little to offer. In America there are still little-known "cousins" of these most famous plants, among which we have the tomatillo, perhaps not readily available but not too difficult to plant at home and taste once ripe.
The Physalis philadelphica is a plant not unlike a small tomato and its fruits resemble precisely small green tomatoes (sometimes spotted with white or dark aubergine violet) covered with a bell-shaped bellflower just like the alchechengi, of which it is however more great. The fruit has a much less juicy pulp than tomato, and a milky white color. The taste is definitely sour .
Tomatillo, ally of
Sight, skin, heart, circulation, oral cavity.
Calories, nutritional values and properties of the tomatillo
The Tomatillo contains 32 kcal per 100 g.
Furthermore, 100 g of product contain:
- Fats 1 g
- Cholesterol 0 g
- Sodium 1 mg
- Potassium 268 mg
- Carbohydrates 6 g
- Fibers 1.9 g
- Sugar 3.9 g
- Proteins 1 g
Tomatillo is a fruit low in calories but richer in fat and tomato protein. It still differs from tomatoes due to the absence of lycopene and the richness of other types of secondary metabolites, generally powerful antioxidants such as witanolides, some of which have shown anti-tumor properties (especially for oral cavity tumors) and antibacterial properties.
It is also worth mentioning the presence of dietary fiber, vitamins A, C, E and B2, of flavonoids (zea-xanthine, lutein, etc.) ideal for maintaining and stimulating vision and skin health in combined action together with beta-carotene .
Coming to the composition of the spectrum of trace elements we have potassium, copper, iron, phosphorus and manganese. A high presence of potassium combined with an almost total absence of sodium makes the fruit ideal for helping the heart and the circulatory system .
The tomatillo among natural remedies for heart health
Contraindications
We must always pay attention when we decide to eat fruits of plants belonging to the solanaceae: they may contain secondary metabolites and various toxins (primarily solanine) that can induce allergic reactions in predisposed subjects .
Attention therefore to symptoms of irritation to skin, lips, eyes, respiratory tract. Signs of allergen poisoning can also lead to vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, pain.
Curiosity
Originally the Aztec peoples used the same word to identify both tomatoes and tomatillo: tomate, meaning "large and rich in water".
How to eat tomatillo
First of all, avoid buying too purple or yellow specimens, signs of an excessive degree of ripeness. The fruit is commonly produced in Latin America and imported to North America; much more difficult in Europe. However, it is best preserved by removing the leaves of the glass and keeping it in the fridge .
We mentioned the possibility of growing it in our gardens. The ripe tomatillo has a very acid taste and for this reason it is generally used for sweet and sour sauces such as those of Mexican cuisine, the famous "mole", thanks also to the remarkable contents of pectin. The raw fruit, which may seem too hard to eat alone, goes very well when chopped and added to fresh salads.
