Kashmiri Pandits' Association, Mumbai, India

Kiwi Fruit

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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