Have you tried Inca berries? You might well have, you just don’t know it…
Inca berries or golden berries, those shrivelled, orange-coloured fruits you see below, also go by the more common name of “physalis”. Still not ringing a bell? I bet you’ve seen them in their fresh form garnishing desserts in restaurants. When they’re ripe, the outer layer gets dry and papery and the berries turn bright orange- definitely a pretty plate adornment!
Here’s a picture I took last year of physalis growing in our greenhouse! We sowed the seeds a little late so the fruit didn’t get the chance to fully ripen before summer was over but this year they’re apparently doing much better. My Mum brought me a little container of the “berries” when we met last week but I somehow managed to leave them behind in London so no pictures unfortunately.
Although we’ve successfully grown them in the UK, they’ve been cultivated for thousands of years in the Incan Empire (hence the name) where they’re particularly valued for their nutrient content- They’re especially high in beta-carotene, protein, bioflavonoids, and vitamin A- giving them “superfood” status.
Nutrition aside, in this pantry clear-out project of mine, I found 2 bags of the dried Inca berries (why is it that I have 2 of everything?!)! I’m not wholly convinced by them eaten on their own but they’re a tasty addition to recipes. They’re chewy, sweet and tart with a lingering citrusy flavour.
They certainly gave this simple quinoa dish some pizzazz!
I decided to let the individual ingredients shine here and keep the seasoning really simple- with just a little caraway for a hint of sweet spiciness and coconut oil to bring out the nutty flavours.
With the quinoa, black beans and cashews you’ve got yourself a protein-rich and really satisfying meal. I like this for lunch or as a hearty side-dish.
Ingredients
- 2 Cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp Coconut oil, divided
- 1 tsp Caraway seeds
- 1 C Quinoa, rinsed
- 2 C Water
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 C Water
- 1-1/2 C Cooked black beans/ 1 Can, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 C Cashews, roughly chopped
- 1/4 C Roughly chopped coriander (cilantro)
- 1/2 C Inca Berries
Instructions
- Heat 1 Tbsp coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and caraway and cook stirring for a couple of minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the rinsed quinoa, water and salt, cover, bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook undisturbed for 10-15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Stir through the black beans and the other Tbsp coconut oil, cover again and leave to sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toast the cashews in a small pan over medium heat.
- Stir through half the cashews and half the coriander, reserving half of each for topping.
- Transfer to a serving platter or individual serving bowls/plates and scatter with reserved cashews, coriander and Inca berries.
- I like this best served slightly warm or at room temperature, rather than chilled.
Notes
* I appreciate that superfoods are expensive and not necessarily staples in everyone's kitchen. If you don't have/don't want to use Inca berries, I'd suggest dried cherries, cranberries or golden raisins as substitutes.
Other recipes using Inca berries from around the web:
High Raw Beet & Hemp Granola from Choosing Raw
Winter Greens & Walnut Salad from Thrive Forward
Green tea with Golden Berries from Meghan Telpner
Superfood Chocolate Cups from Navitas Naturals
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I have never heard of Inca berries Emma, but they sound chewy and delicious. They kind of remind me of golden raisins. I love this easy, simple dish and I love the addition of carraway seeds! I have never even seen inca berries anywhere. Speaking of superfoods, I was at Whole Foods yesterday and was just flabergasted at the price of everything….especially the Lucuma! I have ordered it online from Raw guru and it was much more affordable…not cheap, but more affordable. The most expensive thing was the Acai powder..it was $33 I think for one bag, that is insane!!!
I’m the same and buy a lot of my ingredients online. Much more affordable like you say.
Maybe inca berries will be the next goji berry and you’ll see them everywhere before you know it!
These are new to me! So cool that you’re growing them!
The fresh ones are much prettier than the dried kind but the dried are a lot tastier- the fresh are very very sour!
Thanks for the picture of the fresh inca berry - I think I have seen those about (not in my kitchen( but I know I have tasted dried inca berries - strangely enough thanks to my partner who likes to buy dried fruit and nuts to snack on a work. The salad sounds delicious and nutritious
Thanks Johanna. I thought readers might recognize fresh Inca berries (physalis) but not the dried kind. They do look pretty different I suppose!
Tragically, I don’t think I’ve ever seen these before! But now I really want to try them. I’m on a mission!
Get on that!
Sounds delicous, I love the tartness of Inca berries, I haven’t had any in ages though- may need to change this!
Do! I had completely forgotten about them lingering in the back of my cupboard. A happy discovery!
I didn’t realise physalis and inca berries were the same thing!! Crazy
Yup! They look really different don’t they?
Pretty (and probably delicious)! I haven’t tried inca berries myself, but I’ll definitely have to keep an eye out for them the next time I go shopping!
Thank you Catherine. Inca berries are definitely worth trying. They’re sometimes called golden berries instead though so keep that in mind when looking for them!
Oh, I *have* seen those! I always just passed them by figuring it was an alternative name for sultanas. Now I’m going to have to check!
Definitely very different to sultanas! They’re much tangier (and more nutritious too!). Worth a try!
I <33333333333 Inca berries (aka uchuva). I remember buying a box of them in Lima and bringing them back with us. So sweet, so tangy, so juicy and so yummy! I want to see your little greenhouse, I want to build one someday, is it your mum’s? Mmmm I miss these little beauties and they look yummy in your nutty quinoa salad!
No conocía el nombre Uchuva! I wish I could shares some pics of the greenhouse. It is my Mum’s and I’m not living at home anymore and haven’t been back for a long while. Means I haven’t been able to see how all the veggies in the garden are doing!
This looks like my favourite sort of quinoa dish - a bit of fruit, some nuts, and plenty of flavour
I really like inca berries but it never even occurred to me to try growing them! I’m impressed with your efforts 
I can’t take much credit for the fruit growing I’m afraid! It’s my Mum’s work! When I was at home last summer I did help out quite a bit in the garden but haven’t been around to help (or enjoy the harvest) this year.
I find these fresh in my local supermarket here in France, but not sure I’ve seen them dried. I think either would do in this recipe which sounds delicious. Thanks!
Great that you can find them locally. Do try the dried kind as they taste pretty different. They have a great chewy texture and are more palatable than the fresh kind which are very sour!
I really like Inca berries, they are definitely a bit less sweet so I quite like them as a change to different dried fruits. Bet they go so well with the quinoa!
That was my thinking in using them actually. I love dried fruit in salads but it’s usually too sweet for me on its own.
And everything goes with quinoa!
No I haven’t tried Inca berries yet, but I’d love to! It’s so cool that your mum’s managed to grown some this year. That must feel so rewarding. We’ve had lots of blackberries and it’s been great to be able to pick them super fresh for our smoothies. I’d love to have a try at growing more berries next year. They’re so expensive to buy organic… especially for the amount we get through!
I feel you on the berries! At least almost all my food budget goes on fruit and vegetables and I save money by not having meat in my shopping basket!