Actinidia arguta

Actinidia spp.

This tart tomato cousin grows similarly to naranjilla (lulo), but tastes much more similar to a tomato. Cocona comes from the Amazonian region and is commonly used in Peru and other areas to make incredible fresh salsas.

Originally from the Andes, this tiny orange tomatillo cousin hides its sweet tangy fruit beneath a papery skirt. This fruit is such a treat to pop out of their husks and into your mouth! Picked too green, it’s acidic like a tomatillo, one must shake the plant and let only the ripest of fruit fall to the ground before collecting. Ground cherries are a very diverse group, ranging from around 70 species that all differ in flavor, color, size, and growth habit, including the Cape Gooseberry.

This sweet and tart almost citrusy fruit is commonly enjoyed raw, used in drinks, desserts, and even in savory dishes throughout Central and South America and in many other tropical and subtropical climates.

A solanaceous fruit masquerading as a melon! Often called Pepino Melon, this fruit is mildly sweet and really does taste like a soft honeydew or cantaloupe melon, or like a “sweet cucumber” as its name describes. Very common in tropical and subtropical climates, pepino dulce is a favorite treat and varies greatly in shape, size, and color.

These small ground cherry-sized fruits have a tropical pineapple-peach flavor with a lovely balance of sweetness and acidity. Plants typically grow smaller like an annual tomato plant but in tropical regions can become quite a large shrub or tree. Fruits grow upward much like a chile de arbol, rather than dangling down like a cherry tomato or tamarillo does. Similar to the Guava Tamarillo which is slightly larger has more of a guava-kiwi-passion fruit flavor profile.

Also known as Tomate de Arbol, these oblong fruits dangle from tall trees, vary in color, sweetness, and astringency, and are enjoyed raw or as the base of salsas just like tomatoes. Only grown in tropical regions, unlike tomatoes, tamarillos are generally cut in half and the juicy flesh is scooped out from the inside with a spoon while the tougher skin is left behind.