KIWIFRUIT (Yellow Flesh)

Common Name: Kiwifruit
Vernacular Name: Chinese gooseberry, Kiwi
Botanical Name: Actinidia chinensis
Specimens From: New Zealand
Specimens Weight: 113 gm [3.99 oz] (average weight per fruit)

Kiwifruit have been around since several centuries back, mostly growing wild in China but only in the early 20th century onwards, that New Zealand experimented it and began cultivating it on a large commercial scale.

Initially, they called it the "chinese gooseberry" because it came from China and it tastes similar to a gooseberry fruit (but it does not belongs to the gooseberry family). Once this fruit became popular, they renamed it to "kiwifruit". It is named after a type of bird, kiwi, which is ingenious to New Zealand.
But why named it from a bird's name? Simply because the exterior brown colour and the fuzzy hair of this fruit does look similar to the kiwi bird. And to add to the confusion, some countries shorten the name and just simply call it "kiwi", the same name as the bird. So are we eating the fruit or the bird?
If you think that New Zealand lead in the production of kiwifruit, you are not right. It comes in second to Italy. The native country, China is even no where to be seen.

"Hayward" cultivar, is by far the most popular among the few cultivars but most of them do look similar and it is difficult to tell them apart, so why bother? Basically there are three common types. The common 'emerald green' flesh, the 'golden yellow' flesh (which is this fruit) and the baby hardy kiwi. The red kiwifruit is still new and not commonly found yet. There are also several others too but not on commercially cultivated.

This fruit is usually slightly larger than the size of an egg with a unique beak shape at the stem. The skin is brown with very small and almost non-fuzzy hair as compare to the green flesh variety.
The taste is sweet and slightly acidic, similar to eating a banana with pineapple and/or strawberry thrown in. The skin is edible but most people would prefer not to eat it, including me, due to the unappealing fuzzy look and the tartness. But the sad point is, the skin contains antioxidants. Why is it always the good things usually taste poor! If you really wanted to eat the skin, make sure you wash it thoroughly as the fuzzy hair easily trapped dirt and pesticides.

Just cut it into half and scoop it with a spoon, since the flesh is soft enough and the small black seeds are edible too. Compare with the green flesh variety, the 'yellow flesh' kiwifruit taste sweeter, less acidic and taste better but it is also more expensive!

Kiwifruit is high is vitamin C. It also contains vitamin A, B , E and K, plus fibre and many other minerals as well.

Kiwifruit Juice, Yellow

Kiwifruit juice will great for you. This yellow pulp fruit tastes not so acidic and sweeter than the green kiwifruit. Add water accordingly to dilute the thickness to your preferences.


Fruit: Kiwifruit; Actinidia chinensis; Actinidiaceae.


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