Most of us feel relatively confident distinguishing between fruits and vegetables. But with some fruits it's easy to make a mistake. The Physalis is not a stumbling block, but some of its relatives from the nightshade family are.
Do Physalis count as fruit or vegetables?
Botanically, physalis arefruit, as they containseedsandthey arise from the flowers of the plant.
Why are Physalis botanically a fruit and not a vegetable?
Physalis are classified as fruits because the fruits have seeds and develop from the flowers of the nightshade plant. These features characterize fruit.
By the way: Sincetomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, zucchini, eggplants and cucumbersalso contain seeds and develop from the flowers of the respective plant, they toobotanically classified as fruit Culinarily, of course, they are all vegetables.
There is no fixed definition forvegetables. However, this generally refers to all other edible parts of plants, such asroots, stems and leaves.
Tip
Physalis can also be used in vegetable dishes
A special type of Physalis, namely the Tomatillo, can be enjoyed pure or in fruit salads like the classic Physalis peruviana. In addition, the greenish tomatillo fruits are also suitable for vegetable dishes such as stews. With their sweet and sour aroma, they give spicy Mexican dishes that certain something and also tone down the spiciness a little.
