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Versatile kiwi
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The kiwifruit is popular as an appetiser and is added to meat dishes too
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New Zealand supplies most of the world's kiwifruit, but the fruit is not native to New Zealand.
A century ago, the Chinese gooseberry (kiwi) was just a wild fruit growing in the Yangtze Valley of northern China and Zhejiang province of eastern China. It was considered a delicacy by the court of the great Khans, but on the whole the Chinese never really cared much for it.
From China
In 1847, the Royal Horticultural Society of London collected kiwi plants from China and in 1906, seeds from China were brought to New Zealand.
Kiwi cultivation took off during WW II as the fruit was very popular with American servicemen stationed in New Zealand.
So how did this fruit (yang tao) , `Chinese gooseberry' and `ichang gooseberry') get a Kiwi moniker?
In 1962, the New Zealand Fruit Growers Association simply began calling it kiwifruit to increase its marketability and identification with their islands. The name stuck, probably because it was easier for western tongues to pronounce.
Ripe kiwifruit can be eaten as it is or turned into juice. They are also popular as appetisers in salads and as a tenderiser for chicken, fish and meat dishes. The Japanese sometimes eat sushi with kiwifruit. Fruit slices can be added to baked foods, cakes, puddings and desserts.
Pavlova is a classic dessert created by an Australian chef in honour of the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova. It consists of a meringue crust topped with whipped cream and fresh fruits such as kiwis.
The enzymes in kiwifruit interfere with curd formation and spoil formed curd. When added to milk they destroy milk proteins and leave behind a bitter liquid.
Nutrition
Fresh kiwifruit flesh (100 gm) contains 66 calorie, 16.5 gm of carbohydrate, 30 mg of magnesium, 64 mg of phosphorus and over 100 mg of Vitamin C (twice as much as an orange).
It is also rich in folic acid, potassium, chromium and Vitamin E.
The high dietary fibre content of the fruit keeps it low-cal. The Chinese regard the kiwifruit as a tonic for growing children and for women after childbirth. Kiwifruit contains the proteolytic enzyme, actinidin, which is said to aid digestion.
RAJIV.M.
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