A kiwi, sometimes marketed as a kiwifruit or Chinese gooseberry, is a brownish-green fruit approximately the size of a hen's egg. The skin of a kiwi is covered with a hairy fuzz, which can be removed with a vegetable peeler for easier eating. The skin itself contains a form of protease meat tenderizer, which means it shouldn't be combined with protein-based foods such as milk or cream. Many cooks add kiwi to meat dishes specifically for its tenderizing quality.

The flesh of a kiwi can be golden or deep green, depending on the variety. Scattered throughout a kiwi are edible black seeds similar to those found in poppies. When sliced lengthwise, a kiwi looks like a miniature melon. Sliced horizontally, the round kiwi sections become popular garnishes for fruit platters and other decorative presentations. A whole kiwi can be eaten like an apple, although many people prefer to peel off the fuzzy skin.

The taste of a kiwi is difficult to describe with precision. The sweetness of the flesh and the slight crunch of the seeds suggest a strawberry flavor. The texture also suggests a hint of banana, although there is a citrus bite akin to pineapple. Kiwi juice is often combined with strawberry juice in fruit cocktail drinks, but it also shares the protein-dissolving qualities of a pineapple. Raw kiwi, like pineapple, cannot be added to gelatin desserts such as Jell-O.

Historically, the kiwi is the duck-billed platypus of the fruit world, difficult to categorize. It is named after the flightless Kiwi bird of New Zealand, although its origins are in China. The original designation of Chinese gooseberry is also misleading, since it is not a true member of the gooseberry family. Kiwi fruits actually grow on woody vines, much like grapes.

During the early 1900s, a director of a New Zealand school for Chinese women visited China and became fascinated with the fruit known at the time as a Chinese gooseberry. She brought back several fruit-bearing vines for her gardener to cultivate. Eventually the fruit became so popular that commercial growers became interested. In order to establish an association with New Zealand, marketers changed the name to "Kiwifruit". Grocers in the Americas often abbreviate it to kiwi, although the name kiwifruit or kiwi fruit is still common overseas.