I decided to form a forum with the following question in mind: how did fruits and vegetables get their names?The one contribution I can make to your salad is, unsurprisingly, kiwifruit. The name was chosen as a marketing tool after the fruit had been imported from China and bred into a marketable product. On this point, also, why is the country of origin of "kiwifruit" also almost the only place on Earth where the fruit is given its proper name? Whenever I hear that someone has kiwi for breakfast, I cringe. When spelled with a capital "K", "Kiwi" is a designation for a New Zealander. When spelled with a lowercase "k","kiwi" refers to the extremely endangered national bird of New Zealand. The edible product of
Actinidia deliciosa is kiwi
fruit. Please stop eating people and flightless birds, and enjoy your kiwifruit.
