Tomatillo
Food · Vegetable · Food, Typed Supps
Tomatillos are a tangy, low-calorie veggie that gives you a solid dose of vitamin C without much sugar or fat.
Stage by stage
- Husking & Chewing (Mouth): Chewing ruptures the tomatillo's thin skin, releasing its tart juices, natural acids, and fiber.
- Acid Breakdown (Stomach): Stomach acid breaks down the fruit's pectin-rich flesh, freeing vitamin C, niacin, and potassium for absorption further down the tract.
- Intestinal Absorption (Small Intestine): In the small intestine, vitamin C and potassium cross into the bloodstream while soluble fiber slows the release of sugars into circulation.
- Cellular Use (Liver & Tissues): The liver converts absorbed niacin into NAD+ coenzymes used throughout the body, while vitamin C supports collagen formation and immune cell function in tissues.
Timing
Tomatillos are almost always eaten as part of a dish (classically salsa verde), pairing their fiber and acids with other foods for a gentler digestive load.
Time to effect
- Hours to weeks: Vitamin C and potassium are absorbed within a few hours of eating, but noticeable contributions to immune or cardiovascular health depend on regular intake over weeks.
Allergens
None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Keto, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.
Satiety
The satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings. At 32 kcal per 100 g that is 750 g of this, which is not a serving anyone eats — so the index has nothing to say about it.
Environmental footprint
0.5 kg CO2e and 108 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Other vegetables" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.
Cost band
Cheap — roughly £2.5 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 32
- Protein: 1g
- Carbohydrate: 5.8g
- of which sugars: 3.9g
- Fat: 1g
- of which saturated: 0.1g
- Fibre: 1.9g
- Sodium: 1mg
Food vs. supplement
Whole tomatillos provide vitamin C, potassium, and fiber together in a low-calorie fruit-vegetable package that no single-nutrient supplement replicates.
Kitchen tip
Remove the papery husk and rinse off the sticky residue underneath before cooking or eating raw.
Common myth
"Tomatillos are just unripe green tomatoes with a papery husk." In reality: Tomatillos are a genetically distinct species (Physalis philadelphica) in the nightshade family that ripens while still green, filling or splitting its husk rather than turning red; the fruit's husk, leaves, stems, and any truly unripe fruit contain solanine-type glycoalkaloids that should be removed or avoided, unlike an unripe tomato, which is simply unpalatable rather than a source of distinct toxic tissue.
Recipes that use it
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