From its quirky name to its fuzzy brown skin to its bright green flesh, kiwifruit is one weird food. Get past that, though, and you find a fruit that’s both delicious and nutritious. Kiwifruit has a sweet tart taste that’s been compared to a combination of banana and strawberry.
The edible seeds add flavor and slight texture. Best of all, kiwifruit has more nutrition than any other fruit, according to a study at Rutgers University.
Fun Facts
- Kiwifruit is packed with nutrition. It has vitamin C, which boosts the immune system and slows aging; antioxidants, magnesium, potassium, folate, zinc, and lutein, a nutrient necessary for good eye health. Two kiwis have more fiber than a bowl of bran cereal.
- Kiwifruit was first discovered in China and quickly became a favorite of Chinese royalty. It was viewed as a very special delicacy.
- During the mid-1800s, farmers in New Zealand began growing kiwifruit. Back then, it was originally called Chinese gooseberry and then New Zealand gooseberry.
- In 1962, a California grocer began importing the fruit from New Zealand after a shopper requested it. The grocer renamed the fruit “kiwifruit” after New Zealand’s national bird, the kiwi.
- Soon, growers in California began offering kiwifruit. Today, most of the kiwifruit eaten in the U.S. comes from California. Elsewhere, China, Italy, New Zealand, and Chile produce kiwifruit.
- Choose kiwifruits that have smooth skins. Avoid those with shriveled skins. The kiwifruit are ripe when they give slightly when you touch them. If they feel hard, they’re not ripe.
Vocabulary
- Quirky: slightly odd
- Edible: okay to eat
- Delicacy: a special and rare food
Questions and Answers
Question: How should I eat kiwi?
Answer: You can peel and slice it to put in fruit salads, but if you’re eating a kiwifruit by itself, here’s a simple way: Have a parent help you cut the fruit lengthwise to make two halves; use use a spoon to scoop out the fruit.
Learn More
Watch another way to eat kiwifruit.
