Several years ago we came upon a green seed encased in a bewitchingly beautiful seed pod formed by a net of delicate, dried fibers. Fascinated by its intricacy, I did a bit of a photo study against various backgrounds, trying to bring out different aspects of the structure (however, I am no photographer!). The pod was actually stronger than it looked and held up to quite a bit handling. For the longest time, we didn’t know what kind of plant it came from other than that it was a hot-weather-tolerant species that grew in this tropical climate of ours in Zihuatanejo, Mexico.
Well, it appears that this seed pod is simply an intact, dessicated tomatillo husk with a diminuitive tomatillo fruit in its center. Who would have thought?
So what do you do with tomatillos (also called green tomatoes by some)…? Make Green Tomatillo Salsa !
Tomatillos originated in Mexico and were cultivated in the pre-Columbian era. A staple of Mexican cuisine, they are eaten raw or cooked in a variety of dishes, particularly salsa verde.
Wikipedia contributors. “Tomatillo.” Wikipedia
The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 4 Mar. 2016. Web. 22 Mar. 2016
Here is a simple and straight-forward recipe for Mexican Chicken in Green Sauce, made, of course, with tomatillos!