Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <food-safety><peeling><kiwifruit>
Title: Should I peel kiwifruit?
Question: 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?

Answers:
sents: text: It is perfectly safe to eat the peel in and of itself.
text: You will need to make sure that you wash it properly, as it may be dirty.
text: But beyond that, it's simply a matter of taste.
text: A lot of people don't like the flavor / texture of the peel and so remove it.
text: From a site devoted to kiwis : Kiwi fruit skin is definitely edible, and there's a lot of different theories about eating it.
text: 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).
text: 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.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1259/yossarian
score: 10
sents: text: In New Zealand the export Kiwifruit brand is called Zespri.
text: The have fully organic and close to organic orchards.
text: Most of the spraying happens early in the growing cycle, so by the time you buy it it has been rain washed many times.
text: I have family friends whom have export large Kiwifruit orchards
text: 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
text: The green Kiwifruit is very fuzzy and not nice to eat, the gold Kiwifruit is designed to be eaten skin and all.
text: 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
text: The good part of the skin (Exocarp) is not just the dry outer layer, it is the thin living layer immediately behind that.
text: 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.
text: Then slice into small discs and serve During picking season the huge surpluses are feed to the beef cows skin and all :-)
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/3203/TFD
score: 9
sents: text: Kiwi fruit skin is definitely edible.
text: 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…
text: I only like to eat the skin of gold kiwi as its hairless and hate the hairy texture of green..:)
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/21858/Mandy
score: 3
sents: text: I dip the kiwifruit in boiling water for a minute or so then eat the whole thing.
text: The dip softens the skin a little, too.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/None/
score: 3
sents: text: 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
text: I eat them
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/15645/lana
score: 1
sents: text: I love the skins and always eat them.
text: Though, from now on, I'll give them an extra wash.
text: I know lots of people who eat the skin!
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/40171/leanne h
score: 1
sents: text: Kiwis are #10 on the EWG Clean 15 List, so not a big pesticide problem
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/49962/Jim
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
Kiwis are only sprayed early in the growing cycle and the skins are clean and safe to eat when sold. If you are concerned, you could soak the fruit in water for a while or dip them in boiling water for a minute before eating.
The skin of the fruit is edible. Make sure you wash it well before eating.