I was afraid to taste it since the plant was a little worse for wear and the fruit quite old, but was told that naranjilla, a member of the nightshade family, is reminiscent of tomatoes.

The plant is covered in thorns and prickly hairs and looked like a cross between an eggplant and a rose. The fruit itself has a tough, eggplant-like skin but is also covered in a layer of fuzz that reminded me of the fine prickly hairs on rose hips.

In Dominica the fruit is commonly called “Witches’ Tomato.”