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physalis is a fruit that i've been seeing regularly in grocery stores for a while now, but i've never felt quite brave or interested enough to find out exactly what it is. it doesn't even look like a fruit, to be honest; all you see on the shelf is a load of papery husks that look more like dried flowers than anything even remotely fruity.

they're light and relatively cheap, so it's kind of hard to see exactly what it is that you're getting, or why you'd even want to get it. what the hell is it, some kind of nut?

i had a bag of physalis sitting in my kitchen for about a day — i wasn't in any particular hurry to try them — and they gradually filled the room with an oddly exotic smell. fruity, woody, even a bit spicy... damn, this fruit smells good. it's definitely an incongruous sensation, since the product itself looks so lifeless and dull.

once you get the husk open, though, it's pretty obvious what all the fuss is about.

inside is a bright orange berry about the size of a large grape, glossy and smooth and slightly sticky to the touch. the berry is clearly the source of the wonderful smell, and this time there's no confusion because it looks immensely appetising.

the husk helpfully provides a stem for you to hold onto while you bite the berry out of it; maybe that's an uncouth way to eat the fruit, but by the time i'd tried it i really didn't care. the berry pops excitingly in your mouth and releases a fantastic and unique flavour that makes me wish i really knew anything about describing tastes. it's firm, juicy and sweet, with a surprising tanginess that borders on spiciness. unfortunately for the purposes of this description it's not a flavour that is immediately reminiscent of any familiar fruit, although there are shades of grape and pineapple in both the nature of the tang and the quality of the texture.

it'd be an interesting experiment to try to get the juice out of this thing, because all immediate indications are that it would be just as delicious as the fruit, but the moisture seems to be locked away in much the same way as a tomato's is, so perhaps you'd just end up with a mush. you're much better off just eating it, anyway.

apparently physalis is also known as the cape gooseberry, which is definitely a lot more descriptive but possibly a little unfair given its real uniqueness and appeal. i've never liked gooseberries much, and they're a pretty standard fruit anyway, so i probably wouldn't have bothered to try physalis if i'd seen it under its more ordinary name. it's a good source of vitamin p, too, but i don't even know what that is. who cares!

in case i haven't made it plain by now, i really like physalis. i can imagine the flavour not being universally popular but for me it's an excellent fruit experience. it's convenient and no-nonsense, which means you could easily take some of these with you to work or on a picnic without worrying about knives or napkins or waste (the husks crumple to nothing). the husk provides a natural packaging for the berry, so they seem to always be in great edible condition. oh, and they're juicy, and they smell good, and... yeah, well, you get the idea.

try picking some up at the supermarket. they're sold by weight, so a generous bag of them shouldn't set you back much. you might hate them, of course, but, hey, more for me!

i'm definitely going to be buying this one again.