Physalis angulata L.

This yellow fruit with thin skin, wrapped in delicate, papery golden leaves, is beautiful enough to garnish the finest desserts displayed in pastry shop windows all over Brazil. But they are also good to eat fresh, and can be used in juices, compotes, liqueurs, ice creams and sauces. In folk medicine, the leaves, roots and fruits are believed to fight diabetes, chronic rheumatism, and skin, bladder and liver diseases. Production in Brazil concentrates in the South and Southeast regions, with harvesting between July and September, although most of the country’s supply comes from Colombia.