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[Moscow Mule]

History
Top Kiwifruit Producers - 2005
(million metric ton)
Flag of Italy Italy 0.48
Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 0.28
Flag of Chile Chile 0.15
Flag of France France 0.08
Flag of Greece Greece 0.04
Flag of Japan Japan 0.04
Flag of United States United States 0.02
Flag of Iran Iran 0.02
Flag of Canada Canada 0.01
World Total 1.12
Source:
UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)[1]
Kiwi fruit output in 2005
Kiwi fruit output in 2005

Actinidia deliciosa is native to southern China, where it is declared as the "National Fruit" of the People's Republic of China.[citation needed] Other species of Actinidia are also found in China and range east to Japan and north into southeastern Siberia. Cultivation spread from China in the early 20th century, when seeds were introduced to New Zealand by Isabel Fraser, the principal of Wanganui Girls' College, who had been visiting mission schools in China. The seeds were planted in 1906 by a Wanganui nurseryman, Alexander Allison, with the vines first fruiting in 1910. People who tasted the fruit then thought it had a gooseberry flavour and began to call it the Chinese Gooseberry, but being from the actinidia family it is not related to the Grossulariaceae (gooseberry) family.

The familiar cultivar Actinidia deliciosa 'Hayward' was developed by Hayward Wright in Avondale, New Zealand around 1924. It was initially grown in domestic gardens, but commercial planting began in the 1940s. Italy is now the leading producer of kiwifruit in the world, followed by New Zealand, Chile, France, Greece, Japan and the United States. Kiwifruit is still produced in its birthplace China, but China has never made it to the top 10 list of kiwifruit producing countries. In China, it is grown mainly in the mountainous area upstream of the Yangtze River. It is also grown in other areas of China, including Sichuan.

Kiwifruit didn't become widely popular in the United States until the early 1980s.

[edit] Names

This fruit is native to China and had a long history before it was commercialized as kiwifruit. Hence it has many other older names especially in the Chinese language. In Chinese[1]:

* Macaque peach (獼猴桃 míhóu táo): the most common name
* Macaque pear (猕猴梨 míhóu lí)
* Vine pear (藤梨 téng lí)
* Sunny peach (阳桃 yáng táo)
* Wood berry (木子 mù zi)
* Unusual fruit or wonder fruit (奇異果 qíyì guǒ): the most common name in Taiwan and Hong Kong (奇異果 kay yee goh). A quasi-transliteration of "kiwifruit", literally "strange fruit".

[n5gooner]

Partly as a result of these and other intrigues, Richard won several victories over Philip. At Freteval in 1194, just after Richard's return from captivity and money-raising in England to France, Philip fled, leaving his entire archive of financial audits and documents to be captured by Richard. At the battle of Gisors (sometimes called Courcelles) in 1198 Richard took "Dieu et mon Droit" "God and my Right" as his motto, (still used by British Monarchs today) echoing his earlier boast to the Emperor Henry that his rank acknowledged no superior but God.

[Swiss Tony]

Paul stood upon the grassy bank,

His heart was all a-quiver,

She took off her suspender belt,

And her leg fell in the river.

[DS23]

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[Moscow Mule]

Cultivars
Kiwi skin closeup
Kiwi skin closeup

Almost all kiwifruit in commerce belong to a few cultivars of Actinidia deliciosa: 'Hayward', 'Chico', and 'Saanichton 12'. The fruit of these cultivars are practically indistinguishable from each other and match the description of a standard kiwifruit given at the head of this article.
Sliced Golden Kiwifruit
Sliced Golden Kiwifruit

A new Cultivar Group of Actinidia chinensis known as Golden Kiwifruit or "Chinabelle", with yellow flesh and sweeter, less acidic flavour resembling a tropical fruit salad, was produced by the New Zealand Crown Research Institute, HortResearch and is being marketed worldwide in increasing volumes. Some wild vines in China have yellow fruit but are small and not commercially viable. Seeds from these plants were imported to New Zealand in 1987 and the company took eleven years to develop the new fruit through cross-pollination and grafting with green kiwi vines. Golden Kiwifruit have a smooth, bronze skin, a pointed cap at one end and distinctive golden yellow flesh with a less tart and more tropical flavour than green kiwifruit. It has a higher market price than green kiwifruit. Unlike the green cultivars, it is less hairy, so it can be eaten whole after rubbing off the thin, fluffy coat.

[n5gooner]

In March 1199, Richard was in the Limousin, suppressing a revolt by Viscount Aimar V of Limoges. Although it was Lent, he "devastated the Viscount's land with fire and sword".[4] He besieged the puny, virtually unarmed castle of Chalus-Chabrol. Some chroniclers claimed that this was because a local peasant had uncovered a treasure trove of Roman gold, which Richard claimed from Aimar in his position of feudal overlord: however, modern historians are sceptical of the story, which has the flavour of an exemplum, or moralising fable.

[Moscow Mule]

Food value
Sliced kiwifruit
Sliced kiwifruit

Kiwifruit is a rich source of vitamin C. Its potassium content by weight is slightly less than that of a banana. It also contains vitamins A and E. The skin is a good source of flavonoid antioxidants.

Kiwifruit is often reported to have mild laxative effects, possibly because of the high level of dietary fibre [2]

Raw kiwifruit is also rich in the protein-dissolving enzyme actinidin, (in the same family of thiol proteases as papain), which is commercially useful as a meat tenderizer but can be an allergen for some individuals. Specifically, people allergic to latex, papayas or pineapples are likely to be allergic to kiwifruit also. Reactions include tingling and sore mouth; swelling of the lips, tongue and face; rash; vomiting and abdominal pain; and, in the most severe cases, breathing difficulties, wheezing and collapse. The most common symptoms were unpleasant itching and soreness of the mouth, with the most common severe symptom being wheezing. Severe symptoms were most likely to occur in young children.

This enzyme makes raw kiwifruit unsuitable for use in desserts containing milk or any other dairy products which are not going to be served within hours, because it soon begins to dissolve milk proteins. This also applies to gelatin based desserts, as well, as the actinidin will dissolve the collagen proteins in gelatin very quickly, either liquifying the dessert, or preventing it from solidifying. However, the US Department of Agriculture suggests[3] that cooking the fruit for a few minutes before adding to the gelatin will overcome this effect.

Sliced kiwifruit has long been regularly used as a garnish atop whipped cream on one of New Zealand and Australia's favourite desserts, the pavlova.

[n5gooner]

In the early evening of the 25 March 1199, Richard was walking around the castle perimeter without his chainmail, investigating the progress of sappers on the castle walls. Arrows were occasionally fired from the castle walls, but these were given little attention. One defender in particular was of great amusement to the King - a man standing on the walls, crossbow in one hand, the other clutching a frying pan which he had been using all day as a shield to beat off missiles. He deliberately aimed an arrow at the King, which the King applauded. However, another arrow then struck him in the left shoulder near the neck. He tried to pull this out in the privacy of his tent, but failed; a surgeon, called a 'butcher' by Hoveden, removed it, 'carelessly mangling' the King's arm in the process. However, the wound swiftly became gangrenous. Accordingly, Richard asked to have the crossbowman brought before him; called alternatively Peter Basile, John Sabroz, Dudo[5] and Bertran de Gurdun by chroniclers, the man proved a boy. This boy claimed that Richard had slain the boy's father and two brothers, and that he had slain Richard in vengeance. The boy expected to be slain; Richard, as a last act of mercy, forgave the boy his crime, saying, "Live on, and by my bounty behold the light of day," before ordering the boy to be freed and sent away with 100 shillings. Richard then set his affairs in order, bequeathing all his territory to his brother John and his jewels to his nephew Otto.

Richard died on Tuesday, 6 April 1199 in the arms of his mother; it was later said that "As the day was closing, he ended his earthly day." His death was later referred to as 'the Lion [that] by the Ant was slain'. His last act of chivalry proved pointless: as soon as Richard was dead, his most infamous mercenary captain Mercadier had the boy who fired the fatal arrow flayed alive and then hanged.

[Moscow Mule]

Cultivation
Kiwifruit orchard, North Island, New Zealand
Kiwifruit orchard, North Island, New Zealand

Kiwifruit can be grown in most temperate climates with adequate summer heat. Where Actinidia deliciosa is not hardy, other species can be grown as substitutes.
Female flower
Female flower

Kiwifruit is commercially grown on sturdy support structures, as it can produce several tonnes per hectare, more than the rather weak vines can support. These are generally equipped with a watering system for irrigation and frost protection in the spring.

Kiwifruit vines require vigorous pruning, similar to that of grapevines. Fruit is borne on one-year-old and older canes, but production declines as each cane ages. Canes should be pruned off and replaced after their third year.

Kiwifruit plants are normally dioecious, meaning that individual plants are male or female. Only female plants bear fruit, and only when pollenized by a male plant. One male pollenizer is required for each three to eight female vines. An exception is the cultivar 'Issai', a hybrid (Actinidia arguta x rufa) from Japan, which produces perfect flowers and can self-pollinate; unfortunately it lacks vigour, is less hardy than most A. arguta forms and is not a large producer.

Kiwifruit is notoriously difficult to pollinate because the flowers are not very attractive to bees. Some producers blow collected pollen over the female flowers. But generally the most successful approach is saturation pollination, where the bee populations are made so large (by placing hives in the orchards) that bees are forced to use this flower because of intense competition for all flowers within flight distance.

[DS23]

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