Kiwi Fruit

Scientific Name(S): Actinidia chinensis Planchon. Family: Actinidiaceae

Common Name(S): Kiwi fruit, Chinese gooseberry, China gooseberry

A kiwi fruit looks like a fuzzy brown egg--appropriate, since it is named after a fuzzy flightless brown bird. Once considered an exotic specialty item, kiwi fruit has become immensely popular during the past two decades, and deservedly so. When you cut (or bite) through its thin brown skin, which is covered with a downy fuzz, you reach velvety bright green flesh sprinkled with a ring of tiny, edible black seeds.

The taste of a kiwi is difficult to describe with precision. The sweetness of the flesh and the slight crunch of the seeds suggest a strawberry flavor. The texture also suggests a hint of banana, although there is a citrus bite akin to pineapple. Kiwi juice is often combined with strawberry juice in fruit cocktail drinks, but it also shares the protein-dissolving qualities of a pineapple. Raw kiwi, like pineapple, cannot be added to gelatin desserts such as Jell-O.

Botany: The kiwi is native to eastern Asia, but today is widely cultivated for its fruit. Major producers of the kiwi fruit include New Zealand and Italy, although a significant harvest is obtained from other temperate countries including France and Israel. The bisexual plant grows as a trained vine and is often cultivated as an ornamental.

History: The kiwi fruit has been used in China as the basis for a flavorful wine. It has a long tradition of use as a fruit beverage.

Uses of Kiwi Fruit

Kiwi fruit is used as food, meat tenderizer and basis of a "sports drink."

Side Effects of Kiwi Fruit

Some experience severe allergic reactions immediately after consumption.

Toxicology: The enzymatic components appear to be largely responsible for the toxicities associated with kiwi fruit. These events are typically manifested as food allergies. This hypersensitivity manifests as oral/buccal reactions that occur a few minutes after ingesting the fruit. More severe reactions, including dysphagia, vomiting and urticaria, have occurred immediately following ingestion of the fruit.

Summary: The kiwi fruit is a widely cultivated, popularfruit throughout the world. It serves as thre base for flavorful juices. It contains a proteolytic enzyme that has been used as a traditional meat tenderizer, but which may also be responsible for an increasing number of allergic events to the fruit.

Got Kiwi-fruit?  If you or a loved one needs more fruit to supplement their diet, why not get them a fruit gift basket? You can choose from a variety of gift ideas to help purify and lift their spirits.  It's widely known that red wine is supposed to have medical benefits. Why not get one of our wine gift baskets? Even one of our thank you or holiday gift baskets will have a positive affect on health!