Golden Kiwifruit

I do not remember when I first noticed golden kiwifruit, but I know I walked by these peculiar looking kiwis in the produce section of the grocery store for a while before giving them a try. I never bought them, until I talked to a friend who said she actually preferred them to green kiwifruit. I figured that was enough of a reason to give them a try.

Golden kiwi is a modern cultivar of kiwifruit that was developed intentionally a little less than 15 years ago. If you look at a golden kiwi and a green kiwi together up close you will immediately see that there are significant differences on the outer appearance of each. The green kiwi is known for its fuzzy skin and oval shape. Golden kiwifruit has a thinner skin that is far smoother without any of the fuzz found on the original green variety. Golden kiwifruit is typically smaller and sometimes has a pointed knobby end.

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Cutting into the kiwifruit shows how the golden kiwi gets its name. The flesh is not the typical vibrant green, instead the color is golden yellow. Beyond the color, the inner fruit looks the same, with the lighter middle and little black seeds. Some other fruits and vegetables have different color varieties, but the taste the very same. Not so with the golden kiwi. While tasting a slice of golden kiwifruit, you know you are eating some kiwi, yet at the same time it is far sweeter than the tart green kind. There is almost no tartness at all, which some in my family missed, as that is part of the whole kiwifruit experience. Golden kiwi is also softer and almost mushy. Cutting golden kiwi into chunks and stirring in a fruit salad could cause it to break apart. It requires a gentler approach than the green kiwi.

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If I was to choose which variety of kiwi is my favorite, I would likely choose the original green as I do love the meatier texture and tart flavor that I have come to expect out of a kiwi. That is not to say I do not like the golden kind. I have tried a couple recipes with the golden kiwifruit and they turned out great. Depending on the recipe and inclusion of any other tart ingredients, the golden kiwifruit may be a better choice than the green. If you have a favorite recipe that includes kiwi, give the golden kind a try and see what you think. For me, if I am going to eat a kiwi on its own, while golden kiwifruit is nice and sweet, I would still prefer the green kind.

If you are looking for some recipes for kiwifruit, check out these! They are great with both regular and golden kiwi.

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25 comments

  • Has anyone else noticed that the golden kiwi fruit tastes a little bit like the other food that you store it next to? Sweet if stored with apples, tart if stored with lemons, and ‘off’ if stored next to hard boiled eggs.

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  • you need to now try the red Kiwi

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  • I was never a fan of green kiwis. I like tart foods, but there isn’t much flavor beyond the tartness for me. I don’t know what grower of golden kiwis you tried, but the organic Zespri brand ones from Italy are scrumptious. They are not at all mushy when ripe and have a wonderful tart/sweetness balance. I have had some other golden ones that were mushy, but these aren’t at all. And they still have some tartness to them. I think they’re the perfect kiwi and much prefer them to the green ones.

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  • I’m just finding out the benefits to kiwi and I bought a lot of green kiwi the fuzzy kind and I’m having a problem with this. When I swallow the green kiwi it burns my esophagus going down my throat it burns so bad the first day that I couldn’t eat anything after word. I wonder what I could do to combat that could I put honey over the kiwi maybe it’s the tart of the fruit that burns my esophagus is I have a very touchy esophagus from Past surgeries. Would you encourage the yellow key week instead of the green? Please help me because I’ve got a lot of kiwi I cannot eat now.

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    • It was new to me. I thought perhaps there was something wrong with it. Mine were much larger than the usual kiwis and they had a sweeter taste. These are the ones I’ll be choosing forward.

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    • I have a sensitive esophagus aswell and can say for anybody out there who is looking at this now and also suffers from a sensitive throat, that yellow kiwis don’t hurt my throat like regular kiwis do, though you should take the skin off if any acidity will hurt your throat, as that is the most acidic part of the kiwi.

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  • I absolutely love the Golden Kiwi, I love the texture and the gentle sweetness. It really compliments things like ice cream and rice pudding. It’s also said to have high levels of vitamin C which is great for me because I can’t eat oranges.

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    • Kiwi is the nick-name for someone from New Zeland, where the fruit is from.
      Grocers try to cheat people with N. Z. kiwis and charge more for them.
      Kiwis are from there! Dont pay more and git ripped off!

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  • I buy organic kiwis ( green and golden) for green smoothies so I don’t have to peel them. If I can’t get organic, I definitely peel them. I don’t know why you would say you don’t have to peel the golden ones, Robert. There are pesticide residues on the peel, even though they’re on the ” clean 15 ” list.

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  • I detest golden kiwifruit. They’re mushy, replace the brilliant green with a sickly, waxy yellow, and lack the zingy tartness that is the whole point of a kiwifruit. I find they are a bland, inferior fruit for people who dislike the strong flavors of good food, such as garlic, anchovies, red wine, or good cheese.

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    • Now that’s hilarious, as if prefering green kiwi over yellow kiwi is the mark of a food conoisseur.

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  • I love golden kiwi but I haven’t been able to find them here in Miami Florida in many years. Do you k,ow where I could purchase them here in Miami or possibly order a case?

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    • If you have a sams club near by, that’s where I seen them.

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  • My go to kiwi is always the golden one, because it’s not hairy and comes in a fun size.
    I can literally eat the whole thing without weird feeling in my mouth.

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  • I can eat golden kiwis whole, whereas that would be… just a little difficult to do with the standard green ones. I also find that they are more palatable all the way through, whereas the white center of a green kiwi doesn’t always taste great.

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  • I have found that i am not allergic to the gold ones…. but i am to the green ones, so i am enjoying what ever the change has been. LOVE THE GOLD!

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  • I’ve had both green and golden and prefer golden because I had the exact opposite experience from this article. Perhaps I just wait too long before eating my green kiwis in the refrigerator that made them sweeter and mushier?

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  • I just accidentally noticed these the other day. My
    girl sent me to the store for fruit – she makes the best fruit salad every Sunday. We eat it all week long. We both love kiwi. For the fun of it I bought the golden kind instead of the usual green kind we buy. I said nothing and waited until she noticed. Although it was different – we both agree we prefer the good tart green kind. But I’m glad we at least tried it!!

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    • Engineered kiwi to be a better fruit overall. It’s super sweet with juicy lush interior, previously neutral to awful middle part is replaced with the sweetest and softest part of the fruit.
      For everyone who was never too excited about inherit tartness of kiwi but still likes the flavor (like myself).

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  • You don’t have to peal the Golden, the skin is edible!!

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    • The skin on a green kiwi is edible too!

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  • I don’t think I have ever had golden kiwis… didn’t know there was any such thing. Very cool info. 🙂 I personally love the tartness of the green kiwis… they are a favorite of mine. 🙂

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  • I like both golden and green kiwis, but I also think I prefer the green ones. A little variety is always nice though!

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  • We had kiwifruit vines at our last house – the green variety, and we ate tons of them – very prolific vines. I love the tartness, too. I’ve never seen the golden… What is the reason for the change, did you find out? Just to be sweeter?

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    • Golden Kiwi is one of most delicious fruits I have ever eaten. That is more expensive than green one.

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