Golden Berries are bright yellow, tangy, tropical and sweet. Today as I was shopping, I noted a small package of “gooseberries” in the produce section of the grocery store. Naturally, since I have never seen them in a store before, I purchased a small plastic container for $3.49 cents.
I learned, however, that golden berries are not quite the same a gooseberries. Sometimes golden berries are known as Cape Gooseberries but they are not true gooseberries.
Golden Berries, More Information
These berries are small juicy fruit native to South America. They have a papery husk around the berries which is peeled prior to eating. My online research said they taste like between a cross between a mango and pineapple.
This fruit is actually related to tomatoes and tomatillos. They are perishable and can be stored in the refrigerator for five to seven days.
These small berries can be eaten as a quick snack or tossed on your morning cereal or into pancakes, waffles, fruit salad, etc. With the papery husk, they make an elegant dessert garnish on cheese plates, chocolate desserts or ice cream. They can also garnish the Thanksgiving turkey or ham.
Since the fruit tends to be tart and sweet, they are, also, made into sauces, pies, puddings and chutneys.
Taste Test
After washing the fruit, I tried test testing a few. I noted the berries in my box were slightly sticky feeling. The papery husk has been removed prior to packaging.
Now, this is probably not true to all these berries but I think they taste like a tart green grape with prominent seeds. I really didn’t taste any mango or pineapple to them. But, of course, this is only my opinion and I am going to try them again.
I really wanted to taste a true gooseberry, but Golden Berries are also nice for a change. Again, this is something I haven’ seen in the grocery stores but I guess with the holiday being here soon, some people want to try a new fruit treat.
Looks like I’m still on the hunt for gooseberries. Too bad, perhaps I’ll find some next year.
Resource Sites: Wikipedia and Melisa’s golden berries.