"You can eat their skin, which means they're very easy to consume, they can be eaten anywhere, and at any time. They are also surprisingly sweet and everyone who tastes them is amazed: they almost taste like honey," stated Adrian Garcia Villar, an agronomist at the Asturian company Arándanos El Cierrón, one of the few producers of kiwiños –mini kiwis, dwarf kiwi, or kiwi berry– in Spain.
"We are blueberry growers, but we are committed to the kiwi tree because its consumption will expand in the coming years, as is already the case in other countries. Not only is it an extra sweet easy-to-eat fruit, but it is also, along with papaya, the most nutrient-dense fruit among the world's thirty most consumed fruits. In addition, it has a high concentration of antioxidants and up to 8 times more vitamin C than a normal kiwi."
The dwarf kiwi, which adapts very well to the climate of Asturias, follows the same distribution channels as berries, so it was relatively easy for Arándanos El Cierrón to incorporate it into its production, García Villar stated.
But not all species are the same or have the same uses. There are three clearly differentiated typologies and their applications are also different. The most widespread is Actinidia arguta, also known as Kiwiño. "It's the most popular one because it's edible and it's also the most productive one," Garcia Villar said.
There's a kiwi that is completely red, another that is completely green, and a third type that has red skin and green pulp. They all have similar sizes and are very sweet. "Production is still scarce in Spain. In fact, this fruit still isn't sold in supermarkets. However, in Portugal -for example- production is higher and everything indicates that in a few years, after the berry boom, kiwi can become fashionable for its flavor and properties," Garcia Villar stated.
Source: lavanguardia.com