Kiwifruit

Many; see text.

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The Kiwifruit or Chinese Gooseberry is the edible fruit of a Cultivar Group of the woody vine Actinidia deliciosa and hybrids between this and other species in the genus Actinidia.

Related Topics:
Fruit - Cultivar Group - Woody - Vine - Actinidia deliciosa - Hybrid - Actinidia

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It is marketed worldwide as kiwifruit but is more commonly called kiwi in North America and in Europe. The most common cultivars of kiwifruit are oval, and about the size of a large hen's egg (5-8 cm long and 4.5-5.5 cm diameter). It has a hairy, dull green-brown skin that most people peel off before consumption. Inside, the flesh is bright green with rows of small, black, edible seeds. The texture of the fruit is soft and the flavour is sometimes described as a mix of strawberry, banana, and pineapple.

Related Topics:
Strawberry - Banana - Pineapple

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The fruit gets its name from a marketing strategy, naming it after the kiwi, the national bird of New Zealand, where the fruit was first commercially popularised in 1959 by the New Zealand fruit-and-vegetable export company Turners and Growers. Growers gradually adopted the name and in 1974 the kiwifruit became the official trade name.

Related Topics:
Kiwi - National bird - New Zealand - 1959 - Turners and Growers - 1974

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In North America and Europe, the "fruit" part of the name is usually dropped, and most people associate "kiwi" with the fruit rather than the bird. This usage can cause some minor confusion and tends to annoy or offend many New Zealanders. To avoid foreigners becoming confused about what a "kiwi" was - a bird, a fruit or a New Zealander - most New Zealand Kiwifruit is now marketed under the brand-name label Zespri which is trademarked by a marketing company domiciled in New Zealand, ZESPRI International.

Related Topics:
North America - Europe

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