What should I do with the kiwi peel?
I've got no problem with its taste and feel
and eat them whole when I'm by myself.
Is it in any way bad for my health?
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5My grandmother cuts them in halves and eat the pulp out of the skin with a spoon. Just a tip.– johnnyFeb 7, 2011 at 17:55
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@Johnny: That's what I used to do, but lately I've been too lazy to go to the kitchen for a knife and spoon.– user4697Feb 7, 2011 at 18:07
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@Johnny: I use a grapefruit spoon, works even better!– ManakoFeb 8, 2011 at 17:53
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8 Answers
It is perfectly safe to eat the peel in and of itself. You will need to make sure that you wash it properly, as it may be dirty. But beyond that, it's simply a matter of taste. A lot of people don't like the flavor / texture of the peel and so remove it.
From a site devoted to kiwis:
Kiwi fruit skin is definitely edible, and there's a lot of different theories about eating it.
Kiwi fruit skin contains high levels of flavonoids, insoluble fiber and antioxidants: these substances all have a beneficial effect on your body's metabolic functions (flavonoids and antioxidants) and on your digestive system and cardiovascular apparatus (insoluble fiber).
Common sense, however, should be practiced in this respect: while raw kiwi fruit skin contains these beneficial substances, it also tends to contain more than 99,95% of of the pesticides in that particular fruit (if they have been used), which largely outweighs the benefits from flavonoids and antioxidants.
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3According to your quote, eating the peel would result in eating 2 000 times more pesticides. Perfectly safe?– user4697Feb 7, 2011 at 13:50
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2perfectly safe "in and of itself", yes. It's only IF the kiwifruit you are eating has been treated by pesticides that you may choose to weigh up the pros and cons of ingesting the pesticides.– KimbaFFeb 7, 2011 at 13:58
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2Sounds like a case where buying trusted organic is well worth it. Feb 7, 2011 at 14:56
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2@Kimba, @Tim: Seems to me it's the absolute quantity we should care about. It's all well and good to say it's 2000 times worse than the flesh, but does that bring it to an unsafe level or not?– Cascabel ♦Feb 7, 2011 at 15:59
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3I doubt if much if any pesticides would be left after a few rainfalls. And Kiwifruit are generally not treated with pesticide during the latter part of their growing cycle. Most are basically organic– TFDFeb 8, 2011 at 9:00
In New Zealand the export Kiwifruit brand is called Zespri. The have fully organic and close to organic orchards. Most of the spraying happens early in the growing cycle, so by the time you buy it it has been rain washed many times. I have family friends whom have export large Kiwifruit orchards and it is a very organic process once the fruit has formed
See http://www.zespri.com/sustainability-home/growing-zespri-on-orchard/kiwigreen.html
The green Kiwifruit is very fuzzy and not nice to eat, the gold Kiwifruit is designed to be eaten skin and all. Kiwi Grapes (bunches of baby Kiwifruit) are also designed to be eaten skin and all
Kiwifruit in New Zealand is considered a scoop fruit though (same as tamarillos, fejoas etc), and you don't see many locals eating the skin
The good part of the skin (Exocarp) is not just the dry outer layer, it is the thin living layer immediately behind that. You'll eat that by scooping the fruit out, not so much by cutting it out
For serving speed we normally cut of the ends, halve, and then place half cut down and slice off the skin working around fruit. Then slice into small discs and serve
During picking season the huge surpluses are feed to the beef cows skin and all :-)
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So NZ-ers usually eat whole kiwifruits? It's nice to know that it's a common practice.– user4697Feb 7, 2011 at 22:23
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3Ummn, no. As I said "you don't see many locals eating the skin". Sliced or scooped is the norm. We can't generally afford the Gold or Grape varieties, we export them all :-)– TFDFeb 7, 2011 at 23:46
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Mmmmm, grape kiwifruit. And you've got me pining for feijoas! Hurry up, autumn! Feb 8, 2011 at 3:18
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Sorry, I was referring to "the gold Kiwifruit is designed to be eaten skin and all". Should have read a little more carefully. But then again, how come natives don't eat the skin if it's supposed to be eaten?– user4697Feb 8, 2011 at 9:05
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We can't generally afford the Gold varieties, they are the skin edible type. The green variety skin is not good for eating (too furry). I guess we are just used to peeling them all because of this– TFDFeb 10, 2011 at 7:29
Kiwi fruit skin is definitely edible.
But I would suggest to soak the fruit in water for a while to wash it properly and so that all the pesticides been may get washed off nicely… I only like to eat the skin of gold kiwi as its hairless and hate the hairy texture of green..:)
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Hello Mandy, and welcome to Seasoned advice! Nutrition is off topic on our site, so I removed the sentence praising the healthiness of kiwi skin and left the rest.– rumtscho ♦Dec 13, 2013 at 0:17
I dip the kiwifruit in boiling water for a minute or so then eat the whole thing. The dip softens the skin a little, too.
I have been thoroughly washing and eating kiwifruit for over 20 years and find the skins vary in texture and flavour if both are good I eat them
I love the skins and always eat them. Though, from now on, I'll give them an extra wash. I know lots of people who eat the skin!
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Quoting someone here----"But then again, how come natives don't eat the skin if it's supposed to be eaten?" ---- we nzers DO often eat the skins !!!– leanne hOct 21, 2015 at 1:50
Kiwis are #10 on the EWG Clean 15 List, so not a big pesticide problem
Up to now I have been eating golden skin after thorough washing with warm water. Although without skin the inner flesh is far tastier.
