When kiwifruit were first brought over to New Zealand from the Far East, people called them “Chinese Gooseberries”
WHAT KIWIFRUIT AND CITRUS FRUIT HAVE IN COMMON
There are plenty of similarities between kiwifruit, oranges, lemons and limes. For one, you often find kiwifruit growing in places where citrus fruits grow. That’s because they thrive in warm, sunny sub-tropical environments and need lots of water1. What’s more, kiwifruit is very high in vitamin C, a nutrient we often associate with citrus fruits. In fact, Green kiwifruit contains more vitamin C than oranges / 100 g!
WHY KIWIFRUIT AND CITRUS FRUIT IS DIFFERENT1
Citrus fruits contain large quantities of citric acid, which gives them their characteristic sharp, tart taste. Whilst the kiwifruit also contains some acid (which gives it that delicious refreshing flavour), the level is not as high as that found in most citrus fruits. For this reason the kiwifruit is actually considered a non-citrus subtropical fruit, in the same category as the fig and the pomegranate.
