sometimes used as an English name to refer to the various fruits borne by plants of the genus Physalis. These fruits are enclosed in a papery husk or calyx, resembling a Chinese paper lantern, which accounts for the occasional use of ‘Chinese lantern’ as a name (at least for P. alkekengi, the species which is familiar as an ornamental).
Of the eight or so species, distributed round the world in temperate and tropical zones, the following are most prized for their fruits and have their own entries:
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
