Food Alphabet
Actinidia chinensis (kiwi): the benefits of kiwi
Actinidia chinensis-kiwi, or "Chinese gooseberry," is a large tree-like liana of the family Actinidiaceae. Its homeland is China.
Wild Actinidia chinensis (toivi) had a fruit weight of only 30 g and was brought to New Zealand at the beginning of the XX century. Cultured large-fruited Chinese actinidia differs from the original species not only by the repeatedly increased weight of the fruit (100 g or more), but also by the best taste qualities. Breeders of New Zealand named the resulting new plant "kiwi" for the similarity of the shape of its pubescent fruit with the body of a small bird kiwi, depicted on the emblem of the country.
Actinidia chinensis (kiwi): the benefits of kiwi
The kiwi plant is prized for its edible berries the size of a goose egg. Under their pubescent brown skin is an emerald-green pulp with many small seeds. The smell of kiwi berries is a mixture of strawberry, gooseberry, banana and pineapple flavors; the taste of kiwi is sweet.
There are several varieties of kiwi: "abbot", "allison", "Bruno", "Monty", "hayward" (female varieties); "matua", "tomuri" (male varieties); "gold".
Kiwis are grown in many countries with subtropical climates, especially widely — in Italy, New Zealand and Chile. In Russia, there are experienced kiwi plantations on the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar Territory.
Kiwis are eaten mostly fresh, having previously been peeled; they can also be frozen, canned, processed into jam, jelly or juice. To make the aroma feel stronger, the berries should be slightly wilted.
In addition to all of the above, you can prepare excellent sauces and marinades for meat from kiwi. (The meat becomes particularly tender and juicy thanks to the enzyme actinidin.)
Sliced kiwi berries are often served with fish (salmon), shrimp, or cheese.
When combined in dishes of kiwi and sour cream (or yogurt), it is better to immediately serve them on the table and not leave them for storage, since the actinidine contained in kiwi quickly breaks down the protein in dairy products.
