What is a kiwi? – History, Properties, Benefits, and More

What is a kiwi?

The kiwi is the fruit of the delicious Actinidia, a vine plant native to China, mainly from the Yangtze River banks.

This plant is of the deciduous type, it can reach lengths of up to 9 meters in height, and leaves are large and oval.

And has a brown or brownish-green color and characteristic brown villi that cover all the skin—the exterior of the fruit.

The interior of this fruit has a bright green color, and the seeds, small and black, distribute in a circular way around the heart, which is white and hard.

The flavor is of intense and characteristic acidity, similar to that of some berries.

What is the History of Kiwi?

• As a food, it went unnoticed in the West until the first Europeans described it in the mid-19th century.
• It not until the mid-20th century that it became trendy among Western countries, mostly thanks to the massive cultivation of this fruit in New Zealand, the first country imported from China.
• The name “Kiwi” is coined precisely in New Zealand due to the resemblance of the fruit’s hair with a bird native to that same country called “Kiwi.”
• And also at present, the largest kiwi producers are Italy, New Zealand, Chile, Greece, Japan, and the United States.

What are the Natural Properties of Kiwi?

• Kiwi provides many benefits in the body as it is one of the fruits that contain the most nutrients and natural properties.
• Kiwi is often referred to as a highly recommended food for breakfast due to its nutritional richness.
• The main properties of it are vitamins, minerals, proteins, and carbohydrates.
• The zero fat content of any kind makes this fruit so highly regarded by physicians and nutritionists.
• The vitamins it contains are vitamins A, B6, and B12, vitamin C, and D.
• The minerals contained in the fruit are sodium, potassium, calcium, iron, and magnesium.
• Foods rich in vitamins (A, B, C, D, E, and K)
• kiwi is that it is a versatile food that is easy to integrate into desserts and recipes.

What are the Benefits of Kiwi?

There are many benefits of eating kiwis regularly for the body.

Some nutritionists point out that eating kiwi every day is a perfect way to provide all nutrients the body for a healthy and balanced diet.

Below we highlight the main benefits of eating kiwi in the body.

1. Promotes Intestinal Transit

• Kiwi provides the body with fiber and proteins that help to digest food better.
• And also that is one of the most outstanding benefits of this fruit, reducing digestive problems and gas and gastritis.
• If you have any digestion problems, be it gastritis, gas, constipation, or poor digestion in general, this is the ideal food to correct those problems.

2. Antioxidant Food

• One of the essential benefits of kiwi is that it is one of the fruits that provides the most antioxidants.
• And also ultimately, one of the citrus fruits that most effectively prevent cellular aging.
• Besides that, it has a large amount of vitamin C.

3. It is a Diuretic

• Another benefit of kiwi is its diuretic effect and its ability to prevent or treat constipation.
• And also consuming it can help us eliminate toxins from the body and even lose weight more quickly.

4. Strengthens the Immune System

• As we have indicated, one of the main benefits of the kiwi on health is its large vitamin intake.
• And also consuming this fruit frequently can increase our defenses and reduce the risk of contracting colds, colds, or other types of infections, as well as anemia.

5. Prevents Cardiovascular Diseases

• Another benefit of kiwi is blood circulation improvement, mainly thanks to vitamin E and vegetable fats.
• And also it including this fruit in our diet can prevent the appearance of cardiovascular problems such as thrombosis or heart attacks.

Best Recipes for Kiwi

1. Fresh kiwi Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kilo of kiwis
• 1 l whole milk
• 2 tablespoons crushed ice
• And also brown sugar (optional)

Preparation:

1. First, peel the fruit and chop it, saving a few slices for garnish.
2. We put the fruit in the blender glass, add the milk and sugar, if we want to set, and crush. Add the crushed ice and beat again.
3. And also we serve in tall glasses or glasses and garnish with the reserved slices and some mint leaves.

2. Kiwi and Chocolate Lollipops

Ingredients:

• 2 kiwis
• skewers
• dessert chocolate
• And also caramelized chopped almonds

Preparation:

1. Firstly we undo the chocolate for dessert in the microwave or a bain-marie.
2. Put the crunchy almond on a plate.
3. Meanwhile, we peel the kiwis and cut the central part into half-inch-thick slices.
4. We skewer them with a wooden skewer and submerge half or more of each slice in the melted chocolate.
5. And also let it drains by turning the skewer while it cools and before it has completely cooled, we pass the lollipops through the almond, to that sticks well to the chocolate.

3. Kiwi Express Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• • 500 g kiwis
  • 75 g icing sugar
  • 1 natural yogurt
  • syrup and chocolate noodles (for garnish)

Preparation:

1. Firstly we peel the kiwis and put them in the freezer in a container for a minimum of two hours.
2. And also half an hour before preparing the ice cream, we will also put the yogurt in the freezer.
3. After this time, we put the fruit, yogurt, and refined sugar in the mixer’s glass or the robot that we have and crush everything very fine.
4. And also we take out ice cream balls with a special ice cream spoon or with the one we have at home and decorate them with the chocolate syrup and the noodles, or with the decoration that we prefer.

4. Yogurt Mousse with kiwi Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 natural yogurts
• 100 g of whipped cream
• 2 egg whites
• 4 gelatin sheets
• 3 spoonfuls of sugar
• juice of one lemon
• And also Water

For the Sauce

• 2 kiwis
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• juice of an orange

Preparation:

1. First, beat the egg whites and the cream. We put the gelatin sheets to soak in cold water.
2. Heat the lemon juice and add the well-drained gelatin; mix well until it dissolves.
3. And also mix the yogurts with the sugar, beat well, add the lemon juice and mix again, add the whites and the whipped cream, and mix.
4. We divide the mixture into four individual molds and reserve them in the fridge.
5. We prepare the kiwi sauce by crushing the peeled fruit with orange juice and sugar.
6. And also then serves the yogurt mousse molds with a layer of kiwi sauce on top.

5. Pavlova

This kiwi covered meringue cake is typical of New Zealand, but it has spread to other countries and can make with other fruits.

Ingredients:

• 3 kiwis
• 3 large egg whites
• 160 g sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cornmeal (cornstarch)
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

For coverage

• 100 ml of whipped cream
• And also vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, beat the whites with the electric mixer (it can also do by hand, but it costs more). Half-assembled, add half of the sugar while beating until you get a very firm snow point.
2. And also cover a baking tray with butter paper and spread the meringue in the center, forming a circle of a dessert plate’s size.
3. Bake it at 130ºC for 1 hour and a half or until the meringue cook, but without browning.
4. We turn off the oven, leave the door ajar, and wait a few minutes for the cake to finish drying. Remove and let cool well.
5. Take whip cream and add a few drops of vanilla extract. We spread it over the cold meringue.
6. And also we cut the kiwis into slices and spread them over the cream and can also put some red fruits or chopped nuts (pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts).

6. Puff Pastry, Cream, and Kiwi

Ingredients:

• 4 kiwis
• 1 sheet of puff pastry
• 1 egg

For the pastry cream

• 1/2 l of milk
• 3 or 4 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons of starch or cornflour (cornstarch)
• 125g sugar
• And also Cinnamon, vanilla, or lemon peel

Preparation:

1. Firstly, beat the whole egg. We peel the kiwis, cut them into slices, and we cut them in half.
2. Heat the milk with a cinnamon stick, a vanilla bean, or half a lemon peel to taste.
3. We unfold the puff pastry and cut four thin strips to paste with beaten egg on the four sides to make the “walls.”
4. We will paint these walls with eggs, and we will puncture the inside of the cake well so that it does not rise too much.
5. And also put chickpeas or another legume because the weight does not allow the puff pastry to rise.
6. Preheat the oven up to 220ºC and put the dough in, with the heat down and the fan running, because, with the grill, it browns right away. We take out when the edges begin to brown.
7. To make the cream, we beat the egg yolks with the sugar until they are well mixed, take on a whitish color, and increase volume.
8. And also add the starch or flour and, when everything is well united, we pour the boiling milk from which we will have removed lemon, cinnamon, or vanilla.
9. Please put it on the fire, and we stir until it thickens and boils; then heat off and continue stirring for a minute very hard.
10. Let rest. And also spread the cream over the cake’s entire base and spread the half slices of kiwi on top, forming horizontal or vertical rows.
11. We can prepare individual cakes by merely cutting the puff pastry into smaller portions, and we can also alternate the kiwi with other fruits to cover the cake.