What is a Tamarillo

Have you ever heard of a tamarillo, also called tree tomato?

It’s a small but mighty fruit; a staple in Andean culture.

Let’s walk through what the tamarillo is, where you can find it, and how you can prepare it with your Ecuadorian meal.

A tree tomato is an oval-shaped fruit native to South America and in sub-tropic regions of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Columbia, at higher altitudes and cooler climates.

A tamarillo, also called tree tomato, or tomate de arbol, resembles a cross between a roma tomato and plum tomato.

This South America fruit ranges in size from 2 to 4 inches long and hangs like a tomato off a small, brittle tree like an eggplant.

The tamarillo differs from the Roma or saladette tomato for 3 reasons:

• Plant of origin
• Appearance
• Flavor

Although both plants belong to the same family (Solanaceae) and genus (solanum), they belong to different species.

The tree tomato belongs to the betaceum species, while the roma tomato belongs to the lycopersicum species.

The ripe Roma tomato is distinguished by being a berry with a smooth and red skin, with red flesh.

On the other hand, the ripe tamarillo has a red or orange skin with lighter colored ridges and a yellow pulp.

The tamarillo differs from the Roma tomato because it has a much sweeter flavor, which makes it ideal for preparing jams or juices.

For its part, the more neutral flavor of the Roma tomato makes it ideal for preparing soups and pastas.

The tree tomato is also known as sachatomate, yuca tomato, Andean tomato, cola tomato, chilto, palo tomato, Nordic mango, serrano tomato or tomatillo, depending on the region.

In English it is known as tamarillo.

Although its origin isn’t fully known, the tree tomato can be found in various parts of the world (source).
The tamarillo thrives in subtropical regions, at higher altitudes, between 5,000 and 10,000 ft., with cooler temperatures around 50° F, it can be found in areas such as

• Ecuador
• Peru
• Chile
• Bolivia
• Argentina
• Brazil
• Columbia
• Venezuela
• Costa Rica
• Guatemala
• Jamaica
• Puerto Rico
• Haiti
• East Africa
• Asia
• East Indies
• Australia
• New Zealand

Despite its global popularity, the tamarillo isn’t easily cultivated or found in the United States. Although there are few areas in Florida and California that grow the fruit, tree tomatoes in the U.S. are primarily imported from South America through importers such as El Condor.

A bulk of tamarillo’s flavor comes from the pulp of the fruit and slightly resembles an underripe tomato, with a slight tangy / tart flavor. Depending on the ripeness of the fruit, the tree tomato can be slightly sweet.

There are several ways to eat and prepare the tree tomato. Some of the most popular are:

• Raw
• In juice
• In hot sauce

Because of its sweet taste, some people eat tamarillo raw. You can cut it in half and eat it with a spoon.

The tamarillo fruit (or its pulp) can be used to make juice.

To prepare tree tomato juice:

• Wash and peel 1 or 2 pieces of tree tomato.
• Blend the fruit or its pulp in 200 ml of water
• Strain before serving

If the tamarillo is underripe, add sugar to counteract the acid taste and make the drink sweet.

Another very popular recipe for tamarillos is the Ecuadorian aji.

Aji is an Ecuadorian hot sauce used in a variety of South American dishes and relies heavily on tree tomatoes for flavor.

In summary:

1. Remove the skin from the tomato, blend with water, oil and garlic.
2. It is then blended with lime and cilantro for a thin to medium thick sauce.

The chili tastes spicy, but it can also be sweet depending on the ingredients. Learn more in our complete recipe for ají de tomate de arbol.

There are online resources where you can purchase tamarillos, however, growing within the US is difficult and makes the fruit much rarer.

El Condor offers frozen tamarillos for sale at its store or via wholesale. For more info, contact us today!