Scientific name: Actinidia chinensis
Historically, the kiwi is the duck-billed platypus of the fruit world, difficult to categorize. It is named after the flightless Kiwi bird of New Zealand, although its origins are in Yangtze Valley of China. The original designation of Chinese gooseberry is also misleading, since it is not a true member of the gooseberry family. Kiwi fruits actually grow on woody vines, much like grapes.
During the early 1900s, Isabel Fraser, a director of a New Zealand school visited China and became fascinated with the fruit known at the time as a Chinese gooseberry. She brought back several fruit-bearing vines for her gardener to cultivate. Eventually the fruit became so popular that commercial growers became interested.
In order to establish an association with New Zealand, marketers changed the name to "Kiwifruit". Kiwi fruit actually get name from marketing strategy, kiwi, and the national bird of New Zealand. In 1996, New Zealand Kiwi fruit industry re branded the kiwi fruit as Zespri. In United States, commercial planting began late 1960s in California. From 50 acres in 1970, the industry in California had grown to more than 8,000 acres by1988.
Food History
