Kiwi Trivia | 30 facts about the tasty fruit

Kiwifruit or simply kiwi, as it commonly known, is a fruit rich in fiber and vitamins, that has a strong taste, and many people add it to their juice.

Let’s find out more about!

Kiwifruit is commonly shortened to kiwi in North America is the edible berry of several species of woody vines.
It belongs in the genus Actinidia.
Actinidia means… kiwifruit in greek!
Another name for kiwifruit is Chinese gooseberry.
The most common cultivar group of kiwifruit is oval, about the size of a large hen’s egg: 5–8 centimetres (2–3 inches) in length and 4.5–5.5 cm (1+³⁄₄–2+¹⁄₄ in) in diameter.
It has a thin, fuzzy, fibrous, tart but edible light brown skin and light green or golden flesh with rows of tiny, black, edible seeds. The fruit has a soft texture with a sweet and unique flavour. In 2018, China produced half of the world total of kiwifruit.
Kiwifruit is native to central and eastern China.
The first recorded description of the kiwifruit dates to the 12th century during the Song dynasty.
In the early 20th century, cultivation of kiwifruit spread from China to New Zealand.
In New Zealand happened the first commercial plantings occurred.
The fruit became popular with British and American servicemen stationed in New Zealand during World War II.
It later became commonly exported, first to Great Britain and then to California in the 1960s.
Early varieties were described in a 1904 nursery catalogue as having “…edible fruits the size of walnuts, and the flavour of ripe gooseberries”,^[6] leading to the name Chinese gooseberry.
In 1962, New Zealand growers began calling it “kiwifruit” for export marketing.
The name was commercially adopted in 1974.
In New Zealand and Australia, the word “kiwi” alone refers to the kiwi bird or is used as a nickname for New Zealanders.
Kiwifruit has since become a common name for all commercially grown green kiwifruit from the genus Actinidia.
In the United States and Canada, the shortened name kiwi is commonly used when referring to the fruit.
Nutrition-wise, kiwi fruits contain about as much potassium as bananas and a high amount of Vitamin C, more than oranges. It is also rich in Vitamins A and E, flavonoids and minerals. The kiwi fruit actually has twice the Vitamin E of an avocado, but has only 60% of the avocado?s calories.
Though sweet, it’s low in calories.
Kiwi fruits have high fiber content.
Among health and beauty junkies, kiwifruits are popular ingredients in DIY face masks. Kiwis are rich in alpha hydroxy fruit acids, vitamin C, E and K. Kiwis are ideal for exfoliating, nourishing and anti-aging.
The kiwifruit originated from China and was originally called the ‘Chinese Gooseberry’. The name was later changed due to the name being negatively associated with the Cold War.
Did you know that the kiwifruit was named after its uncanny resemblance to the ‘fuzzy brown kiwi’ – New Zealand’s National Bird.
Since kiwifruits contain up to 10% of recommended daily folate levels, pregnant ladies are encouraged to consume them for healthier babies!
Kiwifruit is also packed with blood pressure-lowering potassium. In fact, a 100-gram serving of kiwifruit, that’s about one large kiwi, provides 15% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of potassium.
The kiwi fruit actually contains more than the orange.
Studies show that kiwi fruit contains a digestive enzyme which helps digest proteins, such as those found in yoghurt, cheese, fish and raw eggs
A small 2011 study found that eating kiwi fruit seemed to improve sleep quality in its 24 participants. After 4 weeks of kiwi consumption, their sleep onset (the time it took them to fall asleep), duration of sleep and efficiency of sleep had all improved
If you are allergic to latex, you are probably allergic to kiwis.