Kitchen Tips All About Ingredients Fruits and Vegetables Are Tomatillos and Tomatoes the Same Thing? Tomatillos and tomatoes may look similar, but their flavors and uses are deliciously different. Both are ripe for exploring right about now. By Breanna Bruening Published on August 8, 2021 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Brie Passano Read on to learn the difference between tomatillos and tomatoes, and get recipes to try. Tomatillos Even though tomatillo means "little tomato" in Spanish, the fruit actually comes from a different plant and is tarter, more vegetal-tasting, and more acidic than most tomatoes. With their bright-green color and distinctive papery husks, tomatillos are a staple in Mexican and Central American cooking and used in a wide variety of dishes — including gazpacho, chili, eggs, and (famously) salsa verde. Tomatillos and tomatoes both have few calories and plenty of vitamins C and K. Tomatoes provide a boost of potassium and vitamin A, too. Brie Passano What's With the Husk? Tomatillos' signature papery husk is actually the flower of the tomatillo plant, which protects the fruit as it grows. The husk splits as the fruit matures, but look for tomatillos with bright green, still-tight-fitting husks, a sign they're not long off the plant. The fruit itself can be a little sticky, but that easily rinses off. When allowed to fully mature, tomatillo fruit may be green, yellow, red, or even purple. How to Store Tomatillos Chill tomatillosin an unsealed paper bag for up to two weeks. Just don't peel back the husks until you're ready to eat them. Learn More About Tomatillos Tomatoes Brie Passano Tomatoes are perhaps even more versatile than tomatillos. You can get them year-round, but their peak-season flavor is incomparable — especially with heirloom tomatoes. What makes them heirloom is their hand-me-down seeds, collected from the tastiest fruit each season and replanted the next, for decades. Unlike hybrid tomatoes, which are bred for uniformity — in size, color, texture, and shelf life — heirlooms range in size from cherry to melon, in color from green to yellow to orange-red to purple, and in shape from miniature pear to waxy oval to smooth football to big bumpy beefsteak. Heirlooms typically have a shorter shelf life — yet another reason to enjoy them now. Popular Heirlooms to Try Brandywine: This big slicer has a luscious red-pink color. It's one of the most slow-to-mature tomatoes but worth the wait: Its beautiful juicy slices are perfect for sandwiches.Green Zebra: Unlike other tomatoes that ripen from green to another color, Zebras start and stay green. They do have light green stripes, though, that turn yellow as the tomato ripens. Zebras are tangier than other heirlooms.Cherokee Purple: Thought to have been passed down from Native Americans of the Cherokee tribe, Cherokee Purples have a flavor that is distinctly sweet and smoky.Black Cherry: These tiny heirlooms are deep red with a black, brown, or purple blush. There's a deep, dark complexity to their sweetness. How to Store Tomatoes Store whole tomatoesstem side down on paper towels in an open container. They'll last two to three days when kept between 60 degrees F and room temperature (temperatures cooler than that can make them mealy and mushy). Recipes to Try Tomatillo Recipes Tomatillo and Chicken Soup Brie Passano "I like to use a few more tomatillos than the recipe calls for. To thicken the soup, I add just a little rice. I also add crisp corn for color and sweetness. I really love this soup," says reviewer lehaha. Lisa's Tomatillo and Strawberry Pie Brie Passano "We had an overabundance of tomatillos in our garden, and I wanted to make something sweet with the tomatillo's unique, tart flavor. This was perfect," says home cook Kooking Kim. Roasted Spicy Salsa Verde Brie Passano "I added more cilantro, a good squeeze of fresh lime, a couple dashes of cumin, and some fresh oregano from the garden to give it better flavor," says reviewer *Sherri*. Tomato Recipes Chef John's Steak Pizzaiola Brie Passano Making tomato concassé — French for "crushed" — is an easy way to enhance sweet tomato flavor. Just score and briefly blanch tomatoes to loosen their skins, then peel, seed, and finely dice. Heirloom Tomato Tart with Pesto and Mozzarella Brie Passano This savory tart's crust uses a pastry method called fraisage. The mixture appears dry, and you press it together with the heel of your hand. This evenly blends the fat and flour, creating a crisp, crackerlike crust that pairs perfectly with fresh tomatoes. This article originally appeared in the August/September 2021 issue of Allrecipes Magazine. Related: Our 10 Best Tomatillo Salsa Recipes 35 Fresh Tomato Recipes for Peak Tomato Season Tomatillo Recipes Tomato Recipes Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit