What is in organic kiwi that makes it a welcomed guest on our plate?

Date: 06/27/2011

We got Chinese Gooseberry. The Macaque Peach. The Astonishing Fruit.

I can go on with synonyms for this fruit – the national bird of New Zealand, a small melon (melonnete), but in the end – they all mean to Kiwi. Short for Kiwifruit. Yes, Kiwi. This bizarre name changing began with the Chinese. They happily grew fruit, particularly in southern China, and enjoyed them very much. In 1904 the seeds of the fruit arrived in New Zealand – were planted, cultivated, irrigated, and soon the fruit began to spread. In 1924, a botanist named Hayward decided that New Zealand should have its own specie and developed one –it is named after him till today. American soldiers who spent time in New Zealand during World War II discovered it and fell in love, in time the kiwifruit spread to the rest of the world. In 1959, the name issue became somewhat complicated when a New Zealand company sought to commercialize this crop and find the fruit an appropriate trade name. The name "Chinese Gooseberry" seemed problematic during the Cold War that was going on just then, and after brainstorming it was decided to call it "Kiwi" – Because if there is a national bird and the fruit has a certain resemblance to it (and no, she/it is not green on the inside with seeds, if you were wondering. The color of the feathers slightly resembles the peel), then we have a winner name.

Organic kiwi should be eaten together with its peel – It contains many good substances such as vitamins and anti-oxidants, and like with any organic fruit we do not need to worry about residues of pesticides that may remain on the peel.

So how do we eat organic kiwi? If you get bored with the good old method of slicing thin slices, or eating it with a spoon – it is easiest to add kiwi to a fruit salad, it balances any composition of fruit you put with its sourish taste. You can also put it in the blender, with a green apple and a little mint, or go wild with desserts – an addition for cakes, or chutney. I like the simple version – kiwi, spoon and go for it.