Several weeks ago, I had a moment of Deja vu. In the fruit section of my local Shop-Rite I saw some yellowish-orange fruit. They were labeled "peeled physalis," but I was convinced that I'd had them before, as "golden berries." Well, it turns out that my memory was sound, as I had tried golden berries/physalis before, and had posted about them on June 13th, 2015. As such, I'll try not to repeat myself much today, so if you want more detail about the fruit itself, you can read that former post. Today's post is about golden berries/physalis from the Colombian company Caribbean Exotics.
Caribbean Exotics was founded in 1986, in the Colombian city of Medellin. By whom, you may ask? I don't know. I did quite a bit of checking online, but to no avail--I can't tell you who the founder of this company is. Nothing was on the official company website, nothing was on alternate business websites, there were no interviews with the owner, etc. I did see that a person named Alejandro Angel Manrrique is the managing director, as he was quoted in an article. And the official website noted that the company's management team included 37 professionals in addition to 230 workers in their facilities and their farms. But that's about it. Otherwise, Caribbean Exotics also sells pitchaya, feijoa, tamarillo, yellow passion fruit, orange passion fruit (aka granadilla), baby bananas, mangosteens, lulu, soursop, cactus fig, and of course, golden berries/physalis. The company's products are exported to at least 16 countries, including some in North America, Europe, and Asia.
If you're curious about the golden berry itself, as I said, my 2015 post goes into a lot about it. Otherwise, the folks as Caribbean Exotics report that this fruit is round, shiny, and orange, with a bittersweet flavor. Some consumers like them by themselves, raw, and others enjoy them in salads, juices, sauces, desserts, cakes, cocktails, and as a chocolate-filled snack. Golden berries are closely related to tomatillas, and more distantly related to tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant. The individual berries grow in a papery outer covering called a calyx. Previously the ones I had were still inside this natural "wrapper," but the berries I had this recent time had all been shelled. Thus the "peeled" part of their title.
Caribbean Exotics peeled physalis (golden berries): These were small berries, which strongly resembled smallish cherry tomatoes in size and shape. They were round, and about 1.5 cm (about .75 of an inch) in diameter, with a yellow color. Their flavor was similar to cherry tomatoes as well--they were tart, but more savory than sweet. I had mine plain, after rinsing. Overall then, they were good. If you like cherry tomatoes you'll probably like these as well.
One final bit of warning--while ripe golden berries are edible, and to some, delicious, other forms of the plant are not. The unripe fruit, as well as the flowers, stems, and leaves contain a substance called solanine, and solanide alkaloids, which can cause poisoning in humans, cattle, and horses. (I didn't see how serious this could be--if it just makes consumers sick, or if it can even kill them. Presumably it depends on how much is eaten, any anaphylactic reactions, etc.) So be aware of this if you live in an area where golden berries are cultivated or grow wild.
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