# Kwestion about kumquats and kiwis **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 22, 2001, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260 "2001-01-22T14:48:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2001, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/1 "2001-01-22T14:48:47Z")
A fruit platter that came with a meeting lunch had a small orangy citrus-type fruit on it. I asked a coworker what it was, and he told it was a kumquat. Now I’m all for kumquats, if only because it’s a fun word to say (not unlike **gazebo** ;)), but I’ve never actually encountered one in the flesh before. Adventurous soul that I am, I gamely peeled the little sucker, shredding most of it in the process, and ate what bits seemed edible, making quite a mess of the whole thing. So my kwest…er, question is: **how the heck do you eat one of these things?** And while I’m on the subject of eating strange fruit, I’ve never gotten a definitive answer on the “proper” way to eat a kiwi (no NZ/oral sex jokes, please). Do you take the skin off or wash it and eat the skin too? Is there a special “kiwi fork”? Should I write Miss Manners? And, finally, is this the right forum for what is in essence a pretty insignificant question in the grand scheme of things? Enkwiring minds want to know! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2001, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/2 "2001-01-22T14:59:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jr8 \* > \*\* > Adventurous soul that I am, I gamely peeled the little sucker, shredding most of it in the process, and ate what bits seemed edible, making quite a mess of the whole thing. So my kwest…er, question is: **how the heck do you eat one of these things?** > > Enkwiring minds want to know! \*\* Kumquats are funny little things. Not only is their name one of the best in taxonomic history, they’re also shaped like little orange testicles. But the funny thing is: they’re built **inside out!** See, the pulp (if you didn’t notice) is fairly sour. But the peel is sweet! So the way I’ve always eaten them is I just pop the entire little bugger into my mouth, chew and swallow. Or someties, I spit the pulp out into a napkin. I haven’t had one in years. I may pop into the grocery store this evening. Thanks! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2001, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/3 "2001-01-22T15:01:33Z")
lovvvvve kumquats. I (wash em first) pop em into my mouth whole. You eat the skin (it’s sweeter than the insides which are really very sour) and 'pit out the seeds (if any). I like the ones with a thin skin the best. yummmmmmmmmmm ---
**Author:** ![Spritle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spritle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spritle)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2001, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/4 "2001-01-22T15:05:49Z")
on kiwis (the fruit - Chinese Goose Berries) I cut them in half (equatorialy, with the little nubs at the poles). Then I slip a spoon between the skin and the fruit and circle it around to circumcise the fruit. The skin slides back to reveal the green knob of fruit, which can be sliced, cut away from skin or eaten with the skin as a bit of a handel. (and I’m not a Mohel ;j) ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2001, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/5 "2001-01-22T15:09:13Z")
Kiwi fruit should be halved and eaten with a spoon. Packs of a half-dozen come with a spoon here. I’d make marmalade from the kumquats. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2001, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/6 "2001-01-22T15:15:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by picmr \* > \*\*I’d make marmalade from the kumquats. \*\* Yes, but it’s a bit hard to make marmalade when you’re at the office and have only one kumquat.😛 P.S. Now celebrating post 200! Virtual drinks are on me. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2001, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/7 "2001-01-22T15:36:11Z")
Kiwis may be eaten skin and all, though I recommend washing them first and removing the little nub on the end. Some find the hairy skin a bit unusual in the mouth… Kumquats may look like a citrus fruit, but they are actually a tropical berry. They’re loaded with vitamin C, so try popping a few kumquats instead of C tablets. If you find the inside of the kumquat just a bit too sour, try a limequat. Limequats are greenish looking kumquats and are oftentimes just a hair less sour than the traditional orange kumquat. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2001, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/8 "2001-01-22T16:04:15Z")
I think a good way to eat kiwis is to slice them first and then peel them. It makes them easy to peel and if you fan the slices out an attractive presentation. ---
**Author:** ![fnord1966](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ad7895/32.png) [@fnord1966](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fnord1966)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2001, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/9 "2001-01-22T17:29:15Z")
I peel my kiwis first, if you use a sharp potato peeler it works great, it just takes off the skin with no wasted green goodness. ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2001, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/10 "2001-01-22T19:02:24Z")
I eat kiwi’s like orange slices. I Cut them in quarters. Pop em in the mouth. And remove the flesh from the skin using my teeth. Unless I’m having them over vanillia ice cream with Framboise. Then I peel and slice them first. mmmmmmmm. And others are right about Kumquats. My favorite -quat however, is the lowquat. mmmmmmmm. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2001, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/11 "2001-01-22T19:23:48Z")
I eat kiwis the same way **oldscratch** does. Interesting anecdote: My 5th grade teacher grew kumquats in his back yard. Nothing unusual about that, except we didn’t live in Florida, we lived in upstate New York. That man had the greenest green thumb of anyone I’ve ever met. ---
**Author:** ![Britt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Britt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Britt)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2001, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/12 "2001-01-22T21:20:57Z")
The preperation of kiwi fruit: For snacks I recommend the halve and scoop method. For preperation with other fruits or desserts the peel and slice method is my usual choose, and finally when using as a tenderiser I slice with skins still attached. By the way you like the green variety so I would hartily recommend checking out the new gold kiwi fruit (sometimnes marketed under the name zespri) As for Kumquats, what are Kumquats? Actually given the name and the proclivities of these boards perhaps I am better of not knowing, especially as I can see a spit vs. swallow debate just waiting to erupt when it comes to consumption practices 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Doobieous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Doobieous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doobieous)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/13 "2001-01-23T02:08:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Kumquats may look like a citrus fruit, but they are actually a tropical berry. They’re loaded with vitamin C, so try popping a few kumquats instead of C tablets. If you find the inside of the kumquat just a bit too sour, try a limequat. Limequats are greenish looking kumquats and are oftentimes just a hair less sour than the traditional orange kumquat. Well, in the strictest sense, they aren’t citrus, because they are in the genus Fortunella. However, they are closely related to Citrus, that hybrids are possible. The limequat is a cross between limes and kumquats. And technically all citrus are berries, since their seeds are embedded in the pulpy flesh. But, my plant encyclopedia classes kumquats and limequats with the citrus (which is probably the commercial classification). Both the genuses Citrus and Fortunella are in the family Rutaceae. My experience with a Kumquat was shock that the inside was sour and the rind sweet. I did like it, but it was a bit surprising at first. ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/14 "2001-01-23T03:35:38Z")
The NZ Kiwifruit Marketing Board rebranded _all_ kiwifruit, yellow and green, as Zespri in the late '90s. They forgot to copyright the name, kiwifruit back in the '70s IMO zespri truly sucks the big one as a name for a Chinese gooseberry. I either cut it open and eat with a spoon or peel and slice it. I have a cumquat in my garden but it hasn’t fruited yet. I had vague plans to pickle them in brandy once they did their thing 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/15 "2001-01-23T04:23:53Z")
How you eat a kiwi? I would recommend grilling or baking, the same way you would other flightless birds like chickens or turkeys. What, sorry? ---
**Author:** ![Doobieous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Doobieous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doobieous)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/16 "2001-01-23T11:24:10Z")
There’s a species of Kiwi (Actinidia arguta) called the “Hardy Kiwi” which has a hairless skin, which is better suited to eating whole. In fact, it’s just about bite size, being 1 - 1 1/2 inches long. I’ll often eat regular kiwi’s skin and all, but I usually just bite into them, and then scrape the flesh with my teeth (a bit messy, but works if you’re somewhere without a spoon and knife). ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/17 "2001-01-24T05:55:47Z")
I guess I don’t understamd kumquats. Tastes just like eating orangepeels. Don’t recall anything sweet about it. Perhaps I got some bad ones. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/18 "2001-01-24T06:58:33Z")
I eat kiwis by splitting them into lengthwise spears and either cutting out the insides, biting them out and ending up with a brown kiwi-skin smile, or securing the fruit behind my teeth and pulling the skin out with my fingers, scraping the inside of the fruit and absolutely murdering my teeth. I have never eaten a kumquat. My absolute favourite fruits in the whole world (well, the non-human variety) are the pineapple and pomegranate. I can’t get enough pomegranates when they’re in season. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/19 "2001-01-24T06:59:50Z")
Duke: I would not recommend this. Kiwis are protected under New Zealand law as they are the national symbol. An attempt to hunt one would no doubt result in your prosecution. Also they are quite endangered, although recovering. Also, the meat probably doesn’t taste that good. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260/20 "2001-01-24T15:01:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by matt\_mcl \* > \*\*Duke: I would not recommend this. Kiwis are protected under New Zealand law as they are the national symbol. An attempt to hunt one would no doubt result in your prosecution. Also they are quite endangered, although recovering. Also, the meat probably doesn’t taste that good. \*\* I dunno. Lucy Lawless is a Kiwi, and I’ll bet…oh, never mind. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwestion-about-kumquats-and-kiwis/51260.md?page=2)