Tomatillo

Tomatillo

The tomatillo is a plant of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family, bearing small, spherical and green or green-purple fruit of the same name. The tomatillo fruit is surrounded by a paper-like husk formed from the calyx. As the fruit matures, it fills the husk and can split it open by harvest. The husk turns brown, and the fruit can be any of a number of colors when ripe, including yellow, red, green, or even purple. Tomatillos are the key ingredient in fresh and cooked Latin American green sauces. The freshness and greenness of the husk are quality criteria. Fruit should be firm and bright green, as the green colour and tart flavour are the main culinary contributions of the fruit.

Fresh ripe tomatillos will keep in the refrigerator for about two weeks. They will keep even longer if the husks are removed and the fruits are placed in sealed plastic bags stored in the refrigerator. They may also be frozen whole or sliced.

Tomatillo Nutrition Facts: Calories, Carbs, and Health Benefits

Tomatillo is composed of 91.63% water, 5.84% carbohydrates, 0.96% protein, and 1.02% fat. One tomatillo will give you with 1.986 grams of carbohydrates. It is equal to 1.53 percent of the 130 grams of carbohydrates you need on a daily basis, according to the Institute of Medicine (US). That same in a 100 gram amount, tomatillo supplies 32 calories and is a modest source of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) (15.6% DV), Vitamin B3 (niacin) (13.21% DV), and Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) (11.22% DV). So if you have tomatillos in your diet, it helps your body to reduce probability of heart disease by fighting cholesterol, reduce the risk of anemia as this vitamin absorbs iron, improve the efficiency of lymphocytes (or white blood cells) to heal wounds and it is effective against dementia since vitamin C impacts memory positivelyhigh blood pressurethe occurrence of cancer. It contains low amount of minerals.