Tomatillos are round, typically green fruits that grow in an inedible, paper-like husk. They range in size from a golf ball to a tennis ball and have a tart flavor that’s familiar to anyone who’s ever eaten an authentic Mexican salsa verde.
Domesticated by the Aztecs around 800 BCE, tomatillos are a member of the nightshade family and one of the oldest “New World” plants still grown today.
The most common variety is a green, golf ball sized fruit known as Toma Verde, but yellowish and purplish varieties are also available. Tomatillos are sometimes called husk tomatoes.