Tomatillos may resemble green tomatoes slightly, but they’re a completely different fruit. They do belong to the nightshade family — the same family that is home to eggplant, tomatoes and potatoes — but they have a very different flavor than tomatoes.

Tomatillos are common to Mexican cuisine. They can be used raw, as in this green tomatillo salad or cooked in a roasted tomatillo salsa or enchiladas verde. Not all tomatillo recipes are Latin influenced either; this green linguine combines a variety of influences, including Italian.