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Health
Kiwi Fruit
by T. K. Khushu, Bangalore
 It
was originally named 'Chinese Gooseberry'. The fruit was grown in China as a
wild plant. Newzealand introduced Chinese Gooseberry in that country and
cultivated superior varieties of this fruit and named it 'Kiwi Fruit'.
It is also grown commercially in some European countries. Kiwi Fruit plants have
been introduced in India and is successfully grown in Himachal Pradesh. Results
are encouraging in Ramban of Doda District in Jammu, where plant material has
been imported from Italy. At present, four varieties are existing at Advance
Centre for Horticulture, Govindpora, Ramban, namely i) Haywards, ii) Alison,
iii) Tomuri and iv) Abbott. Out of this, first three varieties were received
from Italy and last one from Himachal Pradesh. The Kiwi Fruit plant is uni-sexual
and hence requires a pollinizer, and Tomuri variety serves the purpose.
Multiplication of Kiwi Fruit is in progress at Horticulture Farm ,Ramban, and at
Zainpora, Shopian in Pulwama District of Kashmir.
How to serve and get creative with Kiwi Fruit:
1) Since Kiwi by itself is such an attractive and flavourable fruit, the best
way to serve it is by itself.
2) You can eat the fuzzy skin on the outside of the fruit. The skin is very thin
and just needs to be rinsed and rubbed lightly to dry. Then, cut in quarters
like an apple and enjoy skin and all. It can also be eaten whole with the skin,
once the fuzzy is rubbed off. 3) Another quick and simple way to eat Kiwi Fruit
is to cut the fruit in half and eat it with a spoon. 4) It is easy to peel Kiwi
Fruit. First cut off the top and bottom ends, then peel down the sides with
vegetable peeler or knife. Now just slice or quarter into bit size pieces and
enjoy its refreshing taste. 5) The fruit can be sliced into wheels and can be
used to garnish a fruit salad. The fruit not only accents colour, but also
provides a contrast in taste to the other items in salad. 6) Serve sliced Kiwi
Fruit with roasted chicken or cheese tikkas as for inviting appetiser. 7)
Combine Kiwi slices with banana, apple and other fruits and top with honey and
curd or cream for an exciting fruit salad. 8) Kiwi Fruit emerald goodness is
simply beautiful as a topping for ice creams, cakes and custards. 9) Put 2 or 3
Kiwi Fruits in a blender and mix with your favourite juice. Orange and pineapple
compliment it well.
One serving of two medium sized Kiwi Fruit is:
1) An excellent source of Vitamin C, offering sixty mgs per serving. 2) A good
source dietary fiber with 4 grams per serving. 16% of recommended dietary
allowance (RDA). 3) A good source of Potassium, containing more than 10% RDA. 4)
A good source of Vitamin E, which is extremely hard to find in low fat food
sources. 5) A patent source of Antioxidants, containing a wealth of
Phytonutrients including Carotenoids, Lutein, Phenolocs, Flavonoids and
Chlorophyll. 6) A remarkably good complement of Aminoacids, the building blocks
of protein. 7) Very low in Sodium and contains no Cholesterol virtually no fat.
8) A significant source of Folic acid, copper, Magnesium and Maganese, all of
which are limited in the Indian diet. 9) far more nutritious than apple, with
fewer calories. 10) More than twice as much as Vitamin C as in orange. 11)
Having far more Potassium than a banana or citrus fruit. 12) Contains an enzyme
called Actinidin, which makes Kiwi Fruit a wonderful meat tenderiser.
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