A closer look at gooseberries

Gooseberry, cape gooseberry, Chinese gooseberry – think we’re talking about the same plant species? Then think again! Let’s dig deeper into the colourful world of gooseberries and you can decide for yourself which tastes best.

Classic gooseberries grow on bushes with very thorny branches. Gooseberries are a seasonal product that is rarely traded internationally and come in the colours green, yellow and red. Gooseberries are harvested in Germany and other European countries.

Chinese gooseberries are more commonly known as kiwifruit. Although they were still considered an exotic fruit in the 60s, it’s rare to find a food retailer that doesn’t stock them these days. Chinese gooseberries are mainly cultivated in New Zealand, Italy, Greece and as the name implies in China.

The cape gooseberry is also known as Physalis in many countries and originally comes from the Andes region of South America. During the colonial period, seafarers brought the fruit to the Cape of Good Hope on the southern tip of Africa where it grew so well that it earned the name “cape gooseberry”. They are available to customers of our subsidiary TFC Holland 365 days a year.