The bladder cherry (Physalis spp.) is a herbaceous plant of the Solanacee family, the same of the potato and the tomato. In Italy it grow wild in all national territory, until 1000 meters of height. You can find it in incultivated areas, along the banks of ditches or between debris, but always in wetland and slightly shadowed areas .

The bladder cherry is an extraordinay plant for a variety of reasons. Its look and its colours are perfect to embellish your garden, it blossoming takes place in summer, but its flowers similar to a pepper are insignificant;  what makes these plants precious is the red or orange wrapper with a lantern form that grow around the berry at the end of the summer.

But if different people know the beautiful of these lanterns, few know the pleasant flavour and the benefical properties of these fruits. These yellow or orange berries, similar to little tomatos, are rich in vitamin C, mucilages and antioxidants; they not contains a lot of juice and have an acid flavour (similar to raspberries, tomato or orange). You can eat the bladder cherries simply cut in pieces, or you can add it to a fruid salad or covered with chocolate.

In kitchen usually it used as garnish, but in real it can used to prepare different recipes, from first courses to second ones, from beverages to sweets, but also for prepare salad or bruschette. In addition you can prepare different seasoning as bittersweet sauces or creams that you can add to vapor cooked vegetables, spread on bread, crakers or piadine

Published 21 August 2018