TAMARILLO
Tamarillo is relative to tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants, and when you eat one you will notice why, since it is almost like if you would mix all these together. This fruit is native to the South American mountains of the Andes, it is now spread to other places of the world. Tamarillo is also known as tree tomato, and it certainly looks like a tomato. The taste is however quite unique. Tamarillos are named so by some folks in New Zealand who were trying to remove the confusion between tomato and the tree tomato. Tama is a word that signals leadership, while Maori are the native New Zealand people. The ending 'amarillo' was sort of a creative genius that made the fruit sound exotic and Spanish or Latin American if you will. So, about 40 years ago, the name tree tomato, or Arbol de Tomate, was changed to tamarillo.
Tamarillos come basically in three different varieties, red, golden and yellow. Red tamarillo has a red skin and red seed 'coat'. Golden tamarillo is less red than the red variety, and it has no red seed coat. Yellow tamarillo then has a yellow skin and there is nothing red about it. This last variant has been cultivated in order to diminish the gravity of viral infections to the fruit, normally occuring in the first two sorts, although the flavor of the yellow tamarillo is not that satisfying as compared with a red one. The different types of tamarillos have different names: Ecuadorian Orange, Ruby Red, Goldmine, Solid Gold, Yellow, Rothamer, Oratia Red, or Inca Gold. A very good variant is the Goldmine, as it is very tasty and not too acidic. Ecuadorian Orange is good for eating and for cooking, which applies to many tamarillos. Some forms are better raw than cooked, e.g. Solid Gold, and some are vice-versa, e.g. Ruby Red. Possibly you will not have an opportunity to taste all of these sorts at one moment, although try as many as you can.
In cooking, tamarillos are famous for their unique flavor and color, and they can be used in many ways. They can be used as both fruit and vegetable. For example you can try to fry them with other veggies or with bacon. You can grill them. You can serve them with fruits as well. And why not try to mix them with other vegetables of the same family, that is tomatoes, potatoes, and aubergines? Preparing all these veggies with different techniques and adding some subtle seasoning will do magic. When it comes to handling tamarillos, try to use the techniques you would use for potatoes or tomatoes, and soon you should find a way to make them fabulous. Versatile fruits as they are, they open up for many creative possibilities.
When you buy tamarillos, make sure their skin is shining and not wrinkled. They shoould feel quite firm and not too soft. If the fruit is too firm, you can let it ripen at your home at room temperature. Then eat it! You can also, although it takes away some of the spirit of tamarillo, store the ripened fruit in a refrigerator for a week or so, but only do so if you really have to.