2nd February: California Kiwi Fruit Day

It's California Kiwi Fruit Day. Here are some things you didn't know about kiwi fruit.

1. Kiwi fruits grow on vines, similar to grapevines.
2. They are native to China - the first recorded description of the kiwifruit dates back to the 12th century China during the Song dynasty. They called this fruit “Yang Tao”. Europeans called it the Chinese gooseberry.
3. In the early 20th century, missionaries brought the fruit to New Zealand, and it was the commercial growers here who would give it the name kiwifruit in the 1960s for marketing purposes. By 1974, it was the official name for the fruit.
4. That said, New Zealand isn't the top producer of kiwi fruit - that's China, followed by Italy. New Zealand comes in third.
5. The fruit became popular with American servicemen stationed in New Zealand during World War II They exported them to California using the names "Chinese gooseberry" and "melonette".
6. The kiwi fruit belongs to the genus Actinidia, and there are over 60 species. The fruit varies in size (there are some about the size of grapes, referred to as kiwi berry, baby kiwi, dessert kiwi, grape kiwi, or cocktail kiwi), shape, hairiness, colour, juiciness and taste, A few are unpalatable.
7. Chances are the kiwi fruit you buy in the supermarket will belong to the species A. deliciosa. More specifically, it's likely to be the most common cultivar, 'Hayward', developed by Hayward Wright in Avondale, New Zealand, around 1924. Other varieties include 'Blake', and 'Saanichton 12'.
8. Although most people discard the skin, the skin is edible.
9. They have lots of nutrients - a serving of two kiwi fruit contains more Vitamin C than an Orange, as much Potassium as a Banana and as much fibre as a bowl of whole grain cereal. It is also rich source of vitamin E and K. It also contains minerals like manganese, iron and magnesium.
10. Some people can have an allergic reaction to the actinidain found in kiwifruit and suffer from unpleasant itching and soreness of the mouth, and sometimes wheezing.

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