Actinidia

Italy has only discovered the kiwi fruit in the last 10 years or so, during which time the country has become the biggest producer of the fruit in the world, as several regions have the ideal growing conditions of frost-free springs and autumns and rich, well-aired soils. The kiwi is most successfully cultivated in Piedmont, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna (the biggest producer), Campania, Lazio, Puglia and Basilicata.

The most popular variety is the Hayward, but the Bruno, Kovyorch and others are also popular. The overnight success of this fruit is partly due to its vitamin content. Kiwis contain seven times more vitamin C than a lemon and do not need sugar to make them palatable. This wonderful fruit is shaped like a large egg and is about the same size, and has rough brown skin and a brilliant green pulp. It is mainly eaten raw as a table fruit, or used in fruit salads and on fruit tarts, but a large proportion of the crop also finds its way to the drink and confectionery industries.