Kiwi has its origins in China. From there the fruit was introduced to New Zealand about a hundred years ago, where it was given the name of the native bird by which it is now known everywhere.
Where does the kiwi originally come from?
The kiwi has its origins in China and was brought to New Zealand about a hundred years ago, where it received its current name. Today it is grown in many subtropical regions such as Italy, Chile, France, Greece and Spain.
The kiwi fruit is one of the berries of various species of the Chinese ray pen. The kiwi plant is a hardy climbing shrub that can grow several meters high every year and likes to climb arbors, pergolas and high fences.
Kiwi in China
The climbing kiwi bush is believed to have originated in the Yangtze River area; in any case, the first seeds were brought from there to New Zealand at the beginning of the 20th century. The kiwi plant is one of the oldest cultivated plants in China and is still widely cultivated there today. However, the kiwis from China are not exported to Europe.
Kiwi in New Zealand
Introduced to New Zealand as the Chinese gooseberry, the plant found the ideal climatic conditions there, so that commercial cultivation developed in the 1960s. Then as now, New Zealand's kiwi plantations are located on the North Island in the Bay of Plenty.
The Hayward variety, bred in New Zealand, still accounts for the majority of commercially available fruit today. The berry, which was renamed the kiwi fruit at the time, spread first in England, later throughout Europe and gradually became a New Zealand export hit.
Kiwi in the other growing countries
Kiwis are now grown in many subtropical regions of Asia, America and Europe. The leading producer in Europe is Italy. The fruits produced in the USA do not reach the European market. In Germany, kiwis are in season all year round. Further suppliers for Germany and Europe are:
- Chile,
- France,
- Greece,
- Spain.
Tips & Tricks
The kiwi fruits are among the so-called climacteric fruits that are harvested unripe in the growing countries and ripen during transport and storage.
